Under the Horizon
by BurningSilverBridges
Summary: One push, one mistake, and Emma found herself on the deck of Jolly Roger, only 300 years ago. And the only way for her to get back is to find her true love, which, at the moment, seems impossible. With Hook furious and grieving over Milah's very recent death, Emma's left to pick up the pieces of his broken heart, that is, if she wants to get home. Set after 3x06. Captain Swan
1. How She Fell

**I was watching some reality show last night, and there's a chick named Emma there and they mentioned a hook and... well you know where this goes. Fangirl problems. So I got distracted, thinking about the newest episode of OUAT and I decided I'd start a new story, so here it is! **

**Give it a chance, love. Please? **

**P.s. I don't own Once Upon a Time or any of its characters, they all belong to Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis. Lucky ducks.**

* * *

It was pretty late when Emma was woken up by someone's screams and shouts. She quickly got out of her hammock, careful not to step on any boards that might creak too loudly and made her way out of her cabin. She held her sword tightly in her hand as she moved through the lower deck of Jolly Roger, the ship she actually grew to love.

She didn't see Neal, Hook, Regina or Rumpelstiltskin, but what really scared her was the fact she didn't see either of her parents. Her mind immediately started to create the worst case scenarios and she felt her blood turn to ice at the images of her parents dead. She quickly shook her head, she was being ridiculous. This whole thing was crazy, maybe she was only imagining it.

A woman's scream echoed a second later and she knew she wasn't. The woman sounded like Mary Margaret. The whole sneaking up plan suddenly went to hell and she dashed to the deck, only to find utter and complete chaos ruling it.

She quickly realized that Pan, along with the Lost ones, was attacking them. The mast was on fire, the ropes tying the sails to the wood were cut, leaving the once mighty ship looking like a dingy in Emma's opinion. She quickly scanned the deck, noticing that Hook and Neal were in the middle of fighting off Felix and two other, and even though they seemed to be having some trouble, their teamwork from before was now coming in handy and they seemed to be managing it.

Emma saw Rumpelstiltskin and Regina wielding some magic, trying to keep the raging boys at bay, but they were all over the place and for the life of them, they couldn't seem to hit any of them. Emma wanted to choke them. Both powerful wizards yet they couldn't manifest some mumbo-jumbo to take down a couple of morons.

Her eyes fell on David, who was trying to yell something to Mary Margaret, all the while trying to escape arrows the Lost ones kept firing at him. He literally stopped a few of them with his sword, which was pretty impressive, but he seemed to do halfheartedly, not really worried about what might happen to him. His face was contorted in panic and he kept shouting, but Emma couldn't make out words from all the noise.

She followed his eyes and saw Mary Margaret leaning on a pole, an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. Emma's heart seemed to jump into her throat when she saw the scared, painful look on Mary Margaret's face and she instantly made a move to approach her.

She was moving quickly and no one seemed to notice her, no one but Mary Margaret, whose eyes widened in horror when she saw Emma nearing her.

"No!" she screamed. "Run! Emma, run!"

Emma stopped, and everyone else seemed to jerk to a halt as well, all eyes trained on her. A few seconds ticked by which to Emma seemed like hours, before Pan, who was no where in sight the whole time she was looking around the deck, appeared in front of her, an evil smile playing on his lips.

"I've been waiting for you," he said. "You were missing the party."

"Emma!" Hook yelled, "Get away from him!" He opened his mouth to say more, but was cut off by Felix, who punched him square in the jaw. A second later, Neal jumped at him, making him stumble back.

Pan shook his head, "He could never keep his mouth shut."

He turned to Emma and snapped his fingers. Emma narrowed her eyes at him as she raised her sword, expecting something to jump out and attack her. Second went by and nothing came, and she was starting to think this whole thing was some sort of a joke. Or maybe a dream.

Everyone went back to fighting and Emma was about to charge as well, she was really getting sick of that smirk on Pan's face, when she heard a buzzing sound. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked around, looking for the source.

"But... he was right. You should have gotten away when you had the chance. You know, I really like Henry. He's got this... _spark _in him. Reminds me of you, actually. Which is why I'm a bit sad to do this," Pan said, dangerously nearing her, forcing her to take a couple of steps back.

"Oh, wait..." he shrugged mockingly, "No, I'm not."

As the words left his mouth he smirked widely and before Emma could register what was happening around her, he was pushing her backwards by the shoulder. She felt herself losing her balance. The last thing she saw were Mary Margaret's horror-filled eyes, the last thing she heard was David's voice yelling her name.

And then she was falling.

* * *

She opened her eyes when she felt her breath getting knocked right out of her. First, she cracked an eye open, and when she saw the blue sky above her, she opened the other one. She was staring at the sky. The wonderful, sunlit sky and the seagulls that roamed it.

Maybe she was dead.

The idea wasn't the prettiest flower in her garden, but she wasn't as opposed to it as she should have been. Being dead couldn't be that bad, right? The only thing she regretted was not saving Henry, but she knew that Hook, Neal, her parents and even Rumpelstiltskin and Regina would give their lives to save her son. They proved it enough times already. With a family like them, Henry would be fine without her.

If only she had one last chance to tell him he was the best thing that ever happened to her.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a man came into her view, and he was staring at her with anger written all over his face.

"Where did you come from?" he barked at her, before pulling her up to her feet roughly. Emma finally looked around, taking in her surroundings.

She was on a ship. A freaking ship that seemed way too familiar to her. It was docked in a port, and sailors were going up and down the plank connecting the ship to the pier. They carried boxes and barrels and didn't seemed to stop to take a breath. Hearty fellows.

The man holding her shook her roughly, repeating his question. Emma looked around, her mind working in search of an exit plan. How was she supposed to tell this guy that she came through... a portal she guessed, that's why Pan pushed her, and landed on a ship she was on when she fell through the said portal? The thought alone was enough to make her own head hurt.

"I... Uh..." she stuttered, still searching for words.

"You won't answer to me?" he raged, "Fine, then you'll answer to our captain!"

Captain? The word rang loudly in Emma's head.

_Hook_. It had to be.

She felt like a sack of potatoes while she was being dragged towards the captain's cabin. She looked around, trying to figure out where they were. They appeared to be in some part of the Enchanted forest, because this place damn well didn't look like Neverland. It didn't have the whole 'creepy-as-whole-hell ambiance.'

The door to Hook's cabin opened with a bang and Emma was pushed in, tripping as she tried to get herself out of the man's grip. The second she saw the man sitting in the chair, she knew she was right. Even with his back turned to her, she could still make out the lines of his face and his back, through his leather coat. He was hunched over his desk, looking over something.

"What do you want?" he growled loudly, and Emma's face scrunched up, his voice sending chills down her spine. Not because she was happy as hell to see him or the fact the Hook she knew practically admitted to having feelings for her a few days ago, but because this man's voice was cold, ruthless and just downright scary.

It only made her wonder more about what place - and what time - did she wound up in.

"This... lass, we found her lying on the deck. None of the men have seen her before. She's a stowaway, captain."

Hook turned around and his eyes met hers. Emma almost took a step back, but she stopped herself from jerking away. The ice in his eyes was worse than anything she has ever seen before, it was scary even compared to the look Cora seemed to always sport on her face. He was glaring at her, and she felt like his glare could make flowers wither, kids' balloons pop or kick puppies without moving a finger.

"Leave," he commanded, and the guy who kept his grip on her immediately ran away. Emma swore she heard him wince as he did so.

She watched after him as he closed the door and turned to look at Hook, partially hoping this whole thing was a charade. If it was, she was going to enjoy punching him in the face. She breathed out in relief, her lips stretching into a smile, "Dude, you have no idea how...-" her sentence was cut short when she felt cool metal being pressed against her neck. She didn't even have to look down to know what it was.

His damn hook.

* * *

David watched in shock as his daughter fell through a portal that was now closing in on itself. He ran, trying to maybe jump through, help her, but Mary Margaret caught his hand.

"Please," she begged, "I can't lose you too,"she whispered, tears streaming down her face, leaving red streaks. She was looking up at him, so broken and desperate, that he couldn't bring himself to leave her. Instead, he enveloped her in a hug, pulling her closer to him.

Pan laughed, looking at them. "Oh well... you know what they say... all's well that ends well."

A blade touched the tip of his nose and another one his neck. He looked up, seeing Neal and Hook holding their swords pointed at him, giving him deadly stares.

"Bring her back," Hook said, his voice cold.

He smirked, holding up his hand. "Sorry lads. This fish will be a bit harder to catch. If I were you, Hook, I'd wish her luck. Gods know she will need it."

With another snap of his fingers, the Lost ones and Pan were gone, the echo of his sarcastic chuckle the only thing heard after he was gone.

Neal was the first one to lower his blade, looking at Hook sourly. "Where do you think he sent her?"

Hook shook his head, turning around to look at Snow and Charming, who looked like they were about to fall apart, their eyes still trained on the place the portal opened at. The image was actually causing him pain, which was the craziest bloody thing. He quickly looked away.

"I really don't know." And he didn't. But he knew he'd find her.

* * *

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	2. For Whom the Dots Connect

**I was overwhelmed by how many of you followed this. I woke up to fifty emails! You guys rock! I'm so glad so many of you took interest in my story, it really means a lot.**

**Hope you like the chapter =)**

**P.s. yes, my vision of Tinkerbell was a bit different than the show.**

* * *

Emma stared at Hook, trying her best to keep her face neutral. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. But really, she was freaking out. His hook was slowly digging into her neck and she was sure that any second now, it would draw out blood.

"Okay, so... you're angry," she said slowly. His face didn't even twitch. Emma swallowed thickly, "I... I'm just guessing."

"What do you want?"

"Uh... right now? For you to dig your hook out of my neck. It's starting to hurt," she said, wincing slightly.

His face didn't gave her any indication that he actually heard her, his eyes seemed awfully distant and empty, but she did feel him loosen the pressure on her neck. The small action made relief wash over her, probably because the pictures of her on the floor with blood pouring out of her neck disappeared, but also because she realized that even if he had no idea who she was, she still had some effect on him. She doubted anyone else would have survived for as long as she did.

"Tell me why you boarded my ship or I will..."

"Make me walk the plank?" she suggested sarcastically, not being able to help herself. He was starting to annoy her, acting like a total douche bag.

A cold, slightly sadistic smirk tugged on the corners of his lips. "Worse. Throw you to the ogres. Let them rip you apart, limb by limb. Bloody monsters, they are. You wouldn't want to meet them while they're angry. And they're always angry."

Was he making a joke? It was a bad one.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose. Well, that certainly wasn't what she was expecting.

She opened her mouth, about to tell him to go and screw himself, when the doors to his cabin opened and a man looking like he jumped out of a typical storybook entered. He was grinning when he walked in, but upon seeing them the grin fell of his face and was replaced by a serious, mercy-begging look.

"I apologize, captain. But we are finished with the loading."

Hook was about to yell something at him, but his eyes flickered to Emma and he closed his mouth shut, looking like he changed his mind on whatever it was he was about to say. He cocked his head as he watched her, and had Emma not known better, not known _Hook _better, she would have said he looked normal. But he wasn't. His eyes were cold and lost, the smirk on his face almost plastic. Something was so wrong about him, but Emma couldn't connect the dots.

"Grab the lass," he said and the sailor grabbed her by the forearm. His grip was even tighter than before. "Take her below deck, make sure she's bound. She seems like a fighter." He moved his hook away from her neck and took a few steps back.

"Are you kidding me?!" Emma yelled at him, fighting against the man's grip. "Hook, you can't do this!"

She noticed that he went rigid when she called him Hook_, _which took her by surprise. He crossed the distance between them in two long strides with a murderous look on his face and grabbed her by the neck with his good hand, almost lifting her off the ground._  
_

"_What _did you just call me?" he growled, his eyes boring into hers.

She stood her ground, "You heard me, _Hook_."

They stared at each other for a few seconds, and Emma noticed that the rage in his eyes died down for a split second, making the stupid little bubble of hope in her grow bigger. For even a moment, she allowed herself to hope that she was getting through to him.

But then he let her go and turned back to his old self, putting on his poker face, one Emma knew very well and recognized very easily. She saw it in the mirror every day for twenty-eight years. He was hurting and she had no idea why.

Still, she was pissed at him for treating her like a rag doll, so when he let her go, she took advantage of the fact the bonehead behind her wasn't paying attention and swung forward, punching Hook in the face and making him stumble back.

He tried to regain his balance by grabbing his chair with his good hand, but he accidentally hit the other one on the edge of the desk. Emma saw pain flash across his face. Not emotional pain - physical.

And that's when it all fell into place.

She stared at his hook, her mind working overtime. If he lost his hand recently, it would explain why it still hurt him. It would explain why he blew up at her when she called him Hook. Emma blinked. It would also mean Rumpelstiltskin killed Milah and cut his hand off in the span of few days.

Holy crap. She went back three hundred years ago.

"Holy crap," she whispered, her eyes wide and unbelieving. Pan pushed her through a freaking_ time portal? _

She was going to kill that kid. Kill him and not feel bad about it later.

"Get her out of here."

She got dragged out, kicking and screaming in protest, but Hook didn't seem to hear her. She wanted to tell him the truth - who she was, what she was doing there, maybe then he'd understand. She wanted to tell him she was sorry for both punching him and him losing Milah. She knew she shouldn't. He would ask questions that she couldn't answer or she might change the past.

But she didn't care. As she was being dragged to her prison, she felt tired and lost, away from home and her family. She wanted Henry by her side. She wanted Hook to call her 'darling' and 'love' and whatever other nickname she hated before. She wanted him to smirk at her or maybe even smile - that toothy grin that always seemed to make everything seem easier. She wanted the man from the Echo cave, the man who risked his life to save her father._  
_

She wanted to go back.

* * *

Hook woke up from a restless sleep, his head pounding. He stumbled out of his cabin, his hand flying to his head as images flashed before his eyes. They made no sense, all of them blurred together with Emma in each and every one of them.

He found David sitting on the deck, a bottle of something - Hook guessed rum - in his hands. He rose to his feet when he heard him approaching, his sword going up with him. When the prince saw Hook looking like death on vacation, he lowered his sword and walked towards him carefully.

"Hook?"

Hook said nothing, instead he reached for the bottle, snatching it out of David's hands. "Something's wrong, mate," he said before he took a swig.

He drank his rum and waited impatiently as David went up and down the ship, waking up every soul on it, except Mary Margaret. She was restless and devastated after Emma disappeared, didn't want to sleep or rest, so David made Rumpelstiltskin cast a sleeping spell on her, before she wore out herself to death.

A few long minutes later he was surrounded by a sleep-deprived Neal, Regina and Rumpelstiltskin, while David stood behind him and 'kept guard if any of them three decided to attack him for being stupid', as he so eloquently had put it.

He told them about his dream, noticing the weary looks on their faces. Surprisingly, none of them interrupted him once, but he figured there was still time.

"I know it sounds bloody crazy," he said when he finished his tale, "but... it didn't feel like a dream."

Everyone was silent for a while, before Rumpelstiltskin spoke. "Maybe because it wasn't."

"What?"

"What are you talking about, Gold?" Regina asked, sounding like she was in no mood for his foolishness.

He didn't spare her a glance, "It's not a dream - it's a memory."

"Hold on," David cut in, "are you saying that she..."

"What if she didn't travel to a different place, what if she fell through the portal and wound up in the same place, but in a different time?" Mr. Gold proposed, a glint lighting up in his eyes.

David nodded, "It makes sense."

"That way, Pan still has her where he wants her, in Neverland, but she's not a threat," Neal said.

"What now?" Hook asked, looking at all the faces that had understanding written on them.

"I don't know about the rest of them, but you," David said, pointing at him, "are going back to sleep."

* * *

Emma sat on the cold, wet ground, waiting for someone to give a damn and bring her something to eat. She was starving, and seeing the fat, bald guy that guarded her gulp down a freaking chicken didn't help her case either. She was leaning against the wall, small draft wheezing past her right ear. She stared at the drumstick in his hand and her stomach growled loudly. Traitor.

The guy turned to her and with a sick grin stretched out his hand, holding out the chicken leg to her.

"Want some? You gotta show me a good time first, sweetheart."

She grimaced at him, fighting the sickness in her stomach. "I'd rather chew on the floorboards, thanks."

He shrugged, turning his back to her again. "Suit yourself, love."

She gritted her teeth, feeling her face heat up in anger. She felt like he wasn't _allowed _to call her _that._ There was only one person in the whole universe that somehow managed to go by unscathed after calling her such sugary, crappy, used-up nicknames. It was partly because there was nothing she could do to stop him from using them, and partly because she actually grew fond of it.

She let her head fall and sighed. Where was all the magic when you needed it? There were countless fairy tales out there about fairy godmothers and crickets and whatever not that came to the rescue, yet there she was, sitting on rotten wood and actually thinking about knocking the guy out just so she could steal his chicken leg._  
_

_C'mon, you little suckers, _Emma thought, _where are you when I need you? All the damn pixies and fairies and now there's no one here to help me._

"All you had to do was ask."

She jumped and her head snapped up. She met with another pair of bright, familiar eyes, looking down at her.

"T-Tinkerbell?" she almost stuttered out. It took her a second to arrange the Leggos in her head and she looked at the quirky blonde that was looking down at her, a wide smile on her face. She frowned, feeling annoyed by all the cheerfulness Tinkerbell spread around. Didn't she know there weren't that many things to be happy about on the stupid ship?

"Hi Emma," she chirped and Emma's frown deepened. Apparently not.

"This is not a sitcom. Get glum," she said. Two seconds later she realized the fairy knew her name. "Hey," she called, drawing her attention. "How'd you know who I was?"

"Come on. I know who you are. You're the Savior," she smirked knowingly, and Emma narrowed her eyes at her, looking at her from head to toe.

She licked her lips, "So... you can see the future?" If Rumpelstiltskin could do it, maybe she could as well.

"Oh, of course not, don't be silly. I know a troll."

Emma blinked dumbly. She knows a troll. S_he knows a troll.__  
_

She shook her head, clearing her confusing thoughts. She directed her attention to the guy with the chicken who was lying on the ground, seemingly dead. She jerked her head in his direction, motioning at him.

"What'd you do to him? Kill him?" She left out an _I hope so. _

"No, he's sleeping," she shrugged, "Poppy dust. Couldn't have him listening in on our little conversation, now could we?"

Emma struggled against the ropes that bound her wrists. "Can you get me out of here?"

Tinkerbell stared at her, looking a little surprised. She sat next to Emma and quirked an eyebrow at her. "You want to make him trust you, yet you want to escape?" she asked incredulously, "Seems a bit contradictory, don't you think?"

Emma fought to find a response to that, eventually coming up dry. She sighed, her shoulders slacking. "I just want to get out of here," she admitted. "Hook is obviously a wreck over losing Milah and he won't even listen to me. If I start telling him this story of how he's helping me find my son, making buddies with my father, who's a prince, by the way, or how he told me he actually _let go _of Milah because of me... he really will throw me to the ogres. Thanks, but I'd rather not die as a meal."

"Maybe you should try a different approach," Tinkerbell proposed.

"Like what? I can't... help him get over her, because he has to want revenge. He has to chase after Rumpelstiltskin for the next three hundred years or he'll never meet Cora, he won't be there when Mary Margaret and I end up in that camp and I won't... ever... meet him," her voice lingered and for the next few seconds she listened to her own heart, which beat loudly in her chest, threatening to burst out. The thought scared her.

"Then I shall gravely disappoint you with what I'm about to say," Tinkerbell trailed off.

"Oh, God... just tell me. I can't take any more surprises today, I might have a heart attack."

Tinkerbell took a deep breath, looking at Emma sadly. "The only way for you to get out of here is either through another portal, or by finding your true love and having them wish you away with the help of some fairy dust."

Emma froze. She went through the list of things she needed in her head. True love? Doesn't have it. Fairy dust? Nope. Time travel portal? She couldn't even draw one, let alone create it.

For heaven's sake.

* * *

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	3. When the Ropes Fell Cut

**Thank you all for your amazing reviews, they make my heart warm and fuzzy =)**

**Disclaimer - I still don't know anything but the laptop I wrote this chapter on. It's a sad life...**

* * *

At some point during her conversation with Tinkerbell, Emma managed to drift off into sleep. It wasn't a particularly comfortable one, her wrists and ankles were still tied up and she couldn't exactly say that the floor was comfortable. Her dreams were all over the place though. She dreamed of Snow and Charming, Henry and Regina and somehow, even Ruby and Leroy got a role in her dream.

She hadn't realized just how homesick she'd been.

She was woken up by someone _kicking _her legs. Groggily, she opened her eyes and and saw a man crouching next to her, a plate in his hands.

"Did you just kick me?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

He ignored her question and pushed a piece of some kind of fruit under her nose. "Eat," he commanded simply.

"Is it poisonous?"

He rolled his eyes, making Emma even more doubtful. Thankfully, he shook his head. "No. But the captain's sleeping and if you don't eat now, I can't promise you'll eat any time soon."

Emma couldn't really fight with his logic. She was both too reasonable and too hungry to do so. So she took a bite of the fruit he was offering her and fought to keep in a sigh. Whatever it was, it was pretty good, and she wouldn't mind if he brought her a sack of those things.

"Mhm, it's good," she mumbled, her mouth full, "but... I don't understand something." She took his silence as a way of telling her to continue. "Why wouldn't Hook give me anything to eat? Does he do that to all the people he ties up and keeps on his ship?"she really hoped he'd say no.

"No, he's pretty merciful on the rest of them."

Emma stopped mid-bite. "Then why the hell am I different?!" she exclaimed. "I didn't do anything to him, why is he being an ass?"

The man seemed to be taken aback by her language. Emma rolled her eyes at him. Women in the Enchanted forest sure were mellow. Stay-at-home-moms, some would call them. The thought of Snow White made her take back that statement. Still, it annoyed her that every time she wasn't talking like a 'lady' people seemed to look at her strangely.

Sorry for having a back bone.

She ate in silence, not wanting to give him a reason to take away the little food he gave her. She munched for a few minutes, before it occurred to her that she didn't even know the man's name. She gave him a thorough look and swallowed the bite in her mouth.

"Hey, I forgot to ask... what's your name?"

He squirmed under her eyes and swayed from side to side, obviously unsure whether he should tell her his name. "Lass, I don't think-"

She quickly went over all the names she remembered from Peter Pan. She quickly jumped in while she had the chance. "It's Smee, isn't it?"

His jaw dropped, "H-how did you know that?"

Emma's mind flickered to when she first met Hook. His ego seemed to do a double take when she showed some recognition, and she figured that all pirates like to be known about. Maybe Smee wasn't any different.

She grinned slyly, "I've heard of you."

* * *

Hook was worried.

The feeling made him wake up from yet another restless sleep. He slowly opened his eyes, adjusting them to the light. He looked around from his hammock and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw David sitting a few feet away from him, looking like a guard dog. David seemed like he was taking a nap, but his breathing was uneven, showing he was probably just as awake as Hook was.

"You're awake," he stated. A grim look settled on his face. "Anything new... well, old?" he asked, referring to his memories that Emma was rearranging.

Hook shook his head, sitting up straight. "Nothing. Maybe she's sleeping so she doesn't have time to cause trouble."

"You kept trashing in your sleep, why?"

Hook avoided his eyes, knowing that the prince would probably get a pretty accurate read on him. Lately, him and Dave were actually making nice. David reminded him of his brother, and Hook liked that. He liked that he could see remnants of the man he once admired and he liked to think he could one day actually measure up to David. David also wasn't punching him or anything, which, he guessed, was a plus.

Saying he had his daughter tied up and was not feeding her would probably put a strain on their relationship.

So he shrugged, trying to look as casual as possible. "No reason, mate."

"You're lying," David shot back, not missing a beat.

"And why would you think that?"

"Because Emma got her lie detector from someone."

"And that someone is you?"

David rolled his eyes, getting out of the chair. "Stop deflecting, I'll punch you."

Hook gave up, his shoulders slacking as he made his way across to room to grab his coat. He swung it over his shoulders and fumbled with the buttons for a few seconds, trying to put off saying the true reason behind his worries. Somehow he doubted he'd be leaving the room by the end of their conversation.

"Hook," David barked, tired of his digression.

"If she really ended up on this ship on three hundred years ago, then... I'm not sure she'll come back," he admitted.

David's eyes flared, "And why the hell not?"

"Because... I wasn't the brightest of colors back then. I'd just lost Milah and I got through days by drowning myself in alcohol and women. I liked to hit everything that got in my reach and for days on end I would lock myself up in my cabin, planning my revenge on the Crocodile, thinking of ways I wanted to skin him when I found him. If you think I was bad when you first met me... then mate, you have no idea what true evil looks like."

David looked like he'd been kicked in the throat. "Would you... that you, hurt her?" he asked eventually.

Hook opened his mouth to respond, when his words were cut off by a hurtful cry leaving his mouth. David watched with wide eyes as the man in front of him grabbed his head and fell to his knees, looking like he would pass out any second.

"Here we go," he breathed out, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

* * *

Emma jumped in surprise when she saw Hook descend down the stairs with loud, heavy steps. He was staring at her with a hard look on his face, his eyes never leaving hers. She straightened her back, as to show she wasn't afraid of this act he was pulling off. He might have the whole ship terrified of him, but she knew better. He was going dark because he was hurting and because he wanted revenge on the man, monster, that took his hand.

"How nice of you to show up," she drawled out.

He picked up an empty barrel and placed it a five feet away from her. She watched him, wondering what the hell he was doing, as he sat down, still staring at her. Silence fell upon them as they stared at each other. Emma waited for him to say something, and Hook seemed to be trying to decipher her with his mind. His face was cold and stone-like, his eyes giving away nothing. It was actually kind of scary. They were empty.

"Did _he_ send you?" he asked finally, his voice hard and angry.

Emma arched an eyebrow, "He?"

"The Crocodile. Rumpelstiltskin. Did he send you?"

Emma blinked. "Is that why you left me hungry?" she asked, her tone accusatory. She took his silence as a yes. "You gotta be kidding me..." she mumbled under her breath. Looking at him, she realized he was still waiting for an answer. "No. No, Rumpelstiltskin _did not _send me. I swear."

"Then why are you here?"

She drew in a breath. There it was. The moment of truth. She could either come up with some bogus story and hope he'd buy it, or she could tell him the truth, to hell with changing the future. Right now, things seemed hopeless anyway, maybe the only way for her to get home was to tell him everything and hope he'd be reasonable enough to even take it into consideration.

"I... I'm not from here," she said, her voice trembling as adrenaline coursed through her body. His piercing gaze and the pressure it was creating was something she could do without. "I'm from another place. A land without magic... Three hundred years in the future."

She noticed the slightest of twitches on his face, realizing she struck a nerve and spiked his interest. "I... I fell through a time portal, and ended up on the deck of Jolly Roger - there's not much to tell really," she tried generalizing things for him, but he didn't seem to be very happy with what she told him. "I... I know it sounds crazy and that you might not believe me, but come on!" Emma yelled, feeling exasperated. "You people have magic here and a few months ago, I didn't believe in that either, but I'm still here!"

He abruptly got off the barrel, turning his back to her. "If what you speak is the truth, then there's no reason for you to be here," he growled. "You don't belong on this ship. You don't belong in this world."

She flinched, feeling her heart skip a painful beat. She'd be lying is she said his words didn't sting. Not only because they were painfully true, but also because they came from _him. _She wanted not to care, to just close herself off like before, but images of Henry, Mary Margaret and David flashed before her eyes, and she knew she couldn't. Eventually, she found herself not _wanting to. _She was running for too long.

Time to be a grown up.

"Fine," she said, steeling herself, "then can you help me get back home?"

He swiftly turned around, his eyes burning two holes in her head. "And what reason would I have for that? You are nothing but a mere, irritating obstacle to what I have planned and I'm finding myself wanting to throw you over the deck and sail off. If you think that just because you wound up on my ship you'll get mercy, you are painfully mistaken, lass."

"Oh, get over yourself, Hook," she bit back, fighting to stand up. After some trouble and him not stopping her, she finally managed to stand on her feet, though gravity was still a bitch. "You think you're the only one that has problems? Hate to break it to you pal, but the universe doesn't revolve around you. If you don't want to help me, fine, see if I care, but at least let me go on my damned way, don't keep me here, tied up like a pet!"

"I'll let you go when I bloody well want to!" he yelled back at her. "Now, if you want to live, I suggest you shut up and learn which lines not to cross."

"Or what?"

"Or you will get to see me crush your heart with my bare hands," he threatened, his voice low and dark.

He turned on his heel and climbed up the stairs, closing the hatch after him, making the room turn dark again. Emma stared blankly in front of her, her mind trying to process everything he just said, the rational part of her trying to keep her emotions under control. Still, she couldn't help the tears that welled in her eyes, making them sting.

After a few seconds, she slid to the ground, her knees giving out, and she finally allowed herself to cry. Just a little bit. Everything that she had spent the last couple of weeks bottling up - fear of losing Henry and then David, Mary Margaret wanting another kid, Neal coming back and making her hurt again, the feelings Hook managed to stir up in her - it all broke out to the surface and it threatened to drown her.

She was so pathetic, drowning in her own stupid emotions.

A desperate cry left her lips and she slowly banged her head on the wall, feeling annoyed with herself. Could she be anymore weaker, especially now, when she needed this hardcore version of Hook to trust her?

"Get it together," she whispered to herself, trying to stop her nose from running.

What she didn't know, was that a certain pirate was standing above the blasted hatch, listening to her crying bitterly. At some point, his face changed because for the first time in weeks, he felt the pain he was feeling over losing Milah get replaced by something else.

Maybe a different kind of pain. One with related to hearing those cries.

* * *

"Damn it, Hook! What the hell is wrong with you?!" David yelled as he shook the other man wildly. Mary Margaret sat on a chair nearby, watching the scene play out with an upset look on her face. She was worried for Emma, and even though she hated to admit it, for Hook too. He risked his life for Emma multiple times during their adventure in Neverland, and every time he did she found herself warming up to him a bit more.

Hook stilled, for the first time in hours, and sat up shakily, his breaths coming out short and ragged.

"She... she fought with me. She's crying," he said. Both David and Mary Margaret noted he looked pale, his face taking on a more sickly tone.

"Why?"

"I... I told her she doesn't belong in this world. That she doesn't belong on the ship. That I'd tear her heart out."

David couldn't stop himself. In no way was his hand connected to his reason when he punched him in the face. Mary Margaret gasped, jumping out of her seat.

"David, stop it!" she commanded. "It's not really him."

"The hell it isn't! I don't care which time period it is, he's still the same person. The same bitter, black-hearted _monster _who only wants revenge." With that, he stalked out of the room, slamming the door after him.

"He... he doesn't mean that," Mary Margaret said, trying to ease the broken look on Hook's face. "He's just worried about Emma."

"I know that."

She gave offered him a small smile, "Give him some time."

"That's the only thing we don't have," he sighed, getting up. "When are going on shore?"

Her eyebrows leaped into her hairline, "Well we weren't planning on it, considering our... situation. Why do you ask?"

He seemed to mull over his words for a few seconds, "We're going after Pan."

* * *

Smee was back after a few hours, though this time, he wasn't bearing fruit. Emma frowned; then why the hell was he there?

He startled her when he pulled out a blade and told her to turn around. Her blood turned to ice and she went rigid. Was this it? Did 'depressed Hook' finally tell his little minion to kill her? He told her he'd rip her heart out and crush it, not that he'd have someone else do his dirty work.

Coward.

She didn't move, she just stared at him, waiting for him to make his move. Would he go straight for the heart or would he torture her a bit? It seemed like a pirate thing to do. She swallowed the lump in her throat when he inched closer, lifting the blade higher. She closed her eyes and waited for it to be over. Fighting would be useless, she was all tied up and it would only piss him off anyway.

She couldn't even let out a sound when he cut the ropes that bound her wrists.

She stared at him, wide-eyed. "What are you doing?" she asked finally.

"Captain's orders," he said.

They were? Holy crap.

"Seriously?" she wondered why was she arguing with this. She didn't want to give him a reason to tie her back up.

"Aye. You're free to go."

"I am?" she asked, her voice disbelieving.

He nodded and retreated, going up, only this time he left the hatch wide open. Emma stared at it in awe, a sign of the clear blue sky calling her. She didn't know how long she'd been tied up, a day? Maybe less? How was it that Hook was already letting her go?

She walked out on the deck and looked around, feeling life being breathed into her again as she observed Hook's crew. The plank that connected the ship to the dock was still there, and she realized she could just walk off the ship and no one would stop her. Besides, based on Hook's words, he probably wanted her gone.

Well, then he had another thing coming, because she wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

**Next chapter we have past Hook and Emma having quite the conversation *wink wink***

**Leave a review if you liked it ^^**


	4. Heart In Pain

On Hook's command, they got to shore and made a camp in a small clearing, away from prying eyes and Pan's ears. The atmosphere was, in the easiest of terms, tense. Regina and Mr. Gold talked in hushed voices, making Mary Margaret wonder what the hell they were up to. She didn't like it when they plotted together, it always meant trouble.

Hook lead them to their campsite and he kept quiet, thinking about how he'd give anything to get off the island. He walked in brisk pace, making everyone else almost jog to catch up to him at times.

David was at the end of the line, walking in silence. He had a dark look on his face, and Mary Margaret frowned. She couldn't decide what he was feeling bad about. Maybe because of Emma, who he didn't catch or jump after when she fell through the portal. Maybe because he punched Hook. Mary Margaret knew her David was a reasonable man and that he'd realize eventually that what he did was a bit overboard. After all, Hook of this time couldn't control his past actions.

Her steps faltered a bit and soon she found herself walking next to her husband, who was still staring straight ahead, reminding her of a stubborn horse.

"You are over-thinking everything," she told him gently, grasping his hand with her own.

A painful expression settled on his face. "What part?"

She gave him a small, reassuring smile, "Everything. We're going to find Emma, you know we always find each other. And then, we'll find Henry, who, right now, is safe because Pan needs him. And when we find Emma and Henry, I'll find a way to get you off this island, if it's the last thing I do," she said fervently, her eyes glowing with determination.

"And what about him?" David motioned towards Hook.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he can be a reasonable man what he wants to. He understands."

David let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes, "So that's our solution? We'll just figure everything out?"

She squeezed his hand tighter, "Charming, you know us. We'll find a way. We always do."

After half an hour of silent walking through trenches and that horrific jungle, they came to a stop. Mary Margaret looked up and saw that everyone was letting their belonging drop to the floor.

"You two figure out a way to track Pan down," Hook told Regina and Mr. Gold, who didn't look like they liked to be told what to do, especially by a pirate they both had an axe to grind with, "and I'll go get us some firewood."

Snow nudged Charming, "You want to make amends?"

"I..." David opened his mouth to rebel against her pushing him, but he eventually saw the good in her ways. He sighed in defeat, "Fine. I'll go with you," he said a bit louder, directing his words to Hook, who nodded shortly in return, before he disappeared in the foliage. David jogged to catch up to him, only to find him walking faster than before.

He was still pissed off at him. So much for being reasonable.

"I'm sorry for punching you," he admitted after a few minutes of stretched, awkward silence. "I was-"

"Angry, I know," Hook cut in. "It's perfectly understandable. Had someone tied my daughter up and threw her below deck for hours on end without food I would be angry as well."

David's eyes bugged out and he grabbed Hook by his coat, yanking him back. "Come again?"

He chuckled, nervousness washing over him as Charming stared him down, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Right... you didn't know that part."

"Damn it, Hook..." David ran his hand over his face, trying to keep his temper from flaring. It's not this Hook. _It's not this __Hook_, he chanted inside, "did you have _any _decency back then?"

"Define 'decency'."

"I don't know, like, basic human emotions. Mercy, some pity, _anything good."_

"Oh," he made a sound of understanding, "that kind of decency... Then no."

* * *

Hook wondered out on his ship after sleeping for what seemed minutes. Sleep would not come to him since he lost both his hand and Milah, and it was starting to wear him out. He could barely think straight anymore, the insomnia almost killing him. And when he finally managed to close his eyes and drift into half-sleep, he was woken up by loud, almost hysterical laughs coming from the deck.

He looked around, looking for the source of all the merry. He noticed none of his crew was at their posts. They were all huddled in a circle, surrounding someone. Hook pushed past them, and the laughter died down as he did so, all of them scattering away to do their work before he threw them into the ocean.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw the person that was entertaining them. She was sitting on a bench, a bottle of rum in her hand, and a piece of fruit in the other. A wide smile was plastered over her face as she laughed over a story Smee was telling her. He caught Hook's eye and the words died on his lips, fear creeping to his eyes.

The lass noticed the change in his attitude and looked up too, her eyes locking with Hook's. "Captain!" she yelled, "There you are! We were having a blast. Did you know that this guy," she pointed at one of his men, "just got married? We're celebrating!"

He neared her and grabbed her by the elbow, pulling her to her feet. "Just what in the bloody hell are you doing here?" he growled, shaking her.

She shrugged, pulling her hand back. "What?" she asked nonchalantly, "You said I was free to go, but who says I want to? Maybe I want to stay here."

"Why?"

"Why do the stars shine?" she wondered mockingly, looking up at the night sky. "Why are you an ass? I don't have all the answers," she shrugged.

"You are out of your mind if you think you're staying at this ship."

"Oh, come on Hook, why not? Are you afraid I might actually annoy the life out of you?"she grinned, before her face turned serious. "I just... I need your help to get home."

"Or I could just kill you."

"You won't do that," she said, sounding far too sure for his liking. Actually, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that everything about her felt off. The way her gaze shifted when she looked at him or how she sounded so sure of herself, so sure of everything that had something to do with him. It was almost like... well almost like she knew him.

He drew his sword and in a flash had it pressed up against her neck. "And why not?"

"Because," she said, her eyes softening as her hand came up and moved the sword gently out of the way, "if you wanted to, you would have killed me by now."

They stared at each other for what seemed forever, before he finally spoke up. "Being on a pirate ship... it's not the safest thing the world has seen."

"I can take care of myself," she stated, once again sounding too sure of herself. This time there was a trace of defensiveness there as well, making Hook think this wasn't the lass' first time she found herself alone in an unknown land, left to her own devices. Add the sarcasm, the lonely spark in her eyes he'd seen in other people who were abandoned, the brisk attitude and the smart-ass thing and... how funny.

They were the same person.

"Suit yourself, but if you fall into trouble, don't ask for my help."

"Wasn't going to," she fired back.

He turned on his heel and headed for his cabin, before something occurred to him. He turned to face her, she was still standing in her old spot. "Do you care to tell me your name or am I going to have to refer to you as 'that thing'?"

She rolled her eyes, a flash of pain passing through them. "Emma Swan - Emma. My name's Emma."

He didn't say anything, he just went back to his space, closing the door after him. "Emma," he repeated slowly, his voice echoing in the silence of the cabin. He felt sick as her name left his lips, sounding like it belonged only to him to say. He didn't like it felt like it was supposed to be heard there, on his ship and written into the walls. He hated himself when he felt the urge to say the name again.

And again.

* * *

Emma sat on the deck long after Hook went to his cabin, staring up at the stars. She thought that maybe he'd come back, but no such luck. Still, she felt like she was making some progress, him allowing her to stay on the ship and all. It was a small battle, and she knew she was far from winning the war. She sighed, letting her head fall to her knees. Of all the fairy tales and happy endings, she was stuck with crap happening to her over and over again. Mary Margaret -Snow White- told her that the Universe had something planned for all of them.

Well if this was the plan it had for her, then the bastard had a bad sense of humor.

"You don't seem like a thinking type," she heard a voice and looked up, seeing Hook walking towards her.

"Gee, thanks," she remarked dryly.

Silence fell upon them for a few moments, both of them staring at the small village the ship was docked in. Emma didn't tear her eyes away, thinking there was something familiar about the village. She wanted to slap herself when she realized she'd seen it before, in Henry's book. It was the village Rumpelstiltskin killed Milah in.

She frowned. If it happened maybe two or three weeks ago, then why the hell did he still stick around? Did he enjoyed torturing himself? Probably. He was most likely trying to fuel his need for revenge, an action Emma deemed extremely stupid. She found running quite therapeutic, but, then again, she wasn't the best picture of emotional health.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out before she could stop herself.

"For what?" he asked coldly, not sparing her a glance.

She realized there was no taking it back now. The words hung in the air between them and they left her with no other choice but to continue. "For, uh... losing your... true love." The words burned her throat for some reason, and left her questioning whatever the hell she was feeling.

His throat closed and it became hard to push the words out, his fury starting to bubble in him again. "How do you know about that?"

"Smee told me," she said quickly, trying to justify her knowing such a private thing. She realized she just made the man who gave her food collateral damage."I asked where you were and he said you were sleeping, which was weird because you hadn't slept in ages. Ever since the Dark one..." she stopped talking, realizing she was taking this too far. "I'm sorry."

"You apologizing won't bring her back. Besides, you shouldn't feel sorry, the monster who took her should."

She cringed, the words to defend the grandfather of her son on the tip of her tongue. Still, she dug her fingers into her sides and thought of another thing to say. "But... Smee said," there she goes again, throwing the man to the sharks, "that he killed her on a dock not far from here. Why haven't you ditched this place? It's what I would have done."

"To remind myself of that monster, who is still out there, laughing at me."

"Seems like an awfully masochistic thing to do," she mumbled.

"And what do you know about losing someone?" he snapped, for the first time looking up at her. She stayed quiet, sure that if she got into this argument with him one of them wouldn't make it out alive. Her silence only made him probe further. "I thought so. You look like a princess, Swan," he said, not meaning it to sound like a compliment, more like a _foul word. _"You probably had a golden cradle and everything about you screams you had everything you asked for, every single one of your wished granted, even the tiniest, most ridiculous of them."

He knew he was wrong, but getting a reaction out of her was an opportunity too good to pass out on. And based on the red color of her face, he suspected a reaction was coming.

She shook her head, mumbling inaudible things under her breath, and Hook noticed her shoulders were shaking. "He... pompous... heartless... bastard... son... bitch..."

"What was that?" he mocked her, enjoying her anger.

He didn't expect her to pull out a blade and jab it into the deck, the strength of her action leaving the knife standing. He stared at it, and wondered if she was going to punch him again. He wanted to see her _try._

"You know what, Hook? I don't care that you just lost Milah, because guess what, pain wasn't reserved for jackasses like you!" she yelled angrily, getting into his face. "You think the rest of the world doesn't know pain?"

"And what do _you _know about it?" he asked, challenging her.

"I was left on the side of the road when I was an hour old! I spent my whole life without a family, then I fell in love with a man that left me the second he was threatened, and he never came back. I had a kid, on my own, who I had to give up, only to have him find me ten years later with a stupid storybook in his hands that made my life a living hell. My parents could be my roommates and my kid, who I had finally gotten back, was taken away from me by a psycho bitch and is now being kept as a science experiment for a teenager with mental issues! How's that for pain?"

He stared at her and for the first time, seemed to be speechless.

"If you think you're the only one that looks for a reason to get up in the morning, you're wrong," she said quietly, the weight of her own words pressing on her chest. "But I... I can't let my kid down. That's why I need to go back."

He didn't say anything, he simply got up and walked away, leaving her alone in the darkness. She listened to his steps as they grew more distant and finally disappear. She looked up and started to count stars, tying a reason _not _to cry to every one of them.

* * *

Hook and David took more than enough time gather the firewood, in Neal's opinion. He looked around the camp, taking everyone in. Mary Margaret was fumbling with her bow and arrow, looking like she was deep in thought. His father was sleeping and Regina was creating small fire balls with her hands, the sense of magic clearly overtaking her.

He felt out of place there, with everyone doing their own thing, while he waited impatiently for Hook and prince Charming to come back. Neal wasn't stupid; he knew where David's loyalty lied, in who he put his trust and who he would pick if it ever came down to it. It was a funny thing, a prince and a pirate acting like the best of friends, but he supposed it wasn't so surprising. Emma seemed to call _his _name whenever she needed help.

Jealousy was not a nice feeling.

They came back a little while later, carrying the logs in their hands and arguing about something.

"...to just ram the sword in his-"

David cut him off, "Don't be an idiot. We're not going to impale the kid on anything."

Hook shrugged, "It was an honest suggestion."

"Yeah, well, it sucks."

* * *

Hook was woken up from the feather-light sleep by some leaves crumbling. His eyes shot open and he looked around, searching for whoever was making the noise. Everyone was sleeping, as they agreed Hook would take the first shift. The light from the fire shone on the faces of the people around him, and he noticed they were impossibly still.

Hell, they weren't breathing.

He moved to check on David, but another crumble to his left made him jump to his feet and look around.

"Well, Hook, so nice of you to finally notice me. I was starting to feel neglected."

He sighed, turning to him with a weary look. "Hello Pan."

* * *

**Leave a review if you liked the chapter! They make the writer's heart grow fonder =)**


	5. Faith, Trust and Fairy Dust

"Well Hook," Pan said, jumping down from a boulder. "How do you like my new trick?" he asked, motioning around. Hook looked at David, Mary Margaret and Bea, not really caring for Regina or Rumpelstiltskin. Hell, if Pan killed them, he'd probably send him a fruit basket.

No, don't think like that. You're not that man anymore. You stopped being that man for _her_.

"What did you do to them?" he growled, an anxious look coating his features. He couldn't do this. Emma would never forgive him if he let something happen to her parents. She would hate him and every part of him for the rest of the eternity. The thought alone made him feel like the ground beneath him was shaking.

Pan laughed, mocking him, "Oh, relax man, I just stopped the time. They're still alive. Technically."

"How is it possible you can do that?"

He shrugged, circling around Hook, "I learned a few tricks while you were gone. Speaking of tricks," he fumbled with the inside of his shirt, pulling out a small bottle. "I think you'd want this."

Hook squinted at the bottle, trying to see the contents of it. At first it seemed like it was a potion of some sort, but then he realized it wasn't a potion, it was dust. Fairy dust, based on the sparkles in the bottle. He took a step back, he's had his share of fairy magic and more often than not, he got the shorter end of dealing with it.

"Why on earth would I possibly want that?" he drawled out, finally finding it in him to plaster a smirk on his face.

Pan seemed amused by him, which didn't make him feel any better. "Oh, you'll want it."

"It's fairy dust."

"Coming from a very powerful, very rare kind of fairy. One who can travel through time with a thought and change the past with a wave of her hand, her dust allowing her to communicate with people in the past. It could, for example, let you speak to Emma, but, like you said, why on earth would you want it?" Pan cocked an eyebrow. "You should be careful with your words, Hook."

Hook had a knife pressed against his neck in a matter of seconds.

"Give me it," Hook hissed, his grip on the boy tightening.

"My, my, don't you change your mind quickly."

Hook didn't even blink and he was gone, simply disappearing out of his reach.

"How about a deal?" he proposed, waving the bottle in his hands, "You answer me one question, and I'll give you the bottle."

"What?" he asked through gritted teeth.

His smirk widened as he stepped closer, the mischievous glint in his eyes becoming painfully obvious. "What would you do for her?"

The simplest of questions, yet the words would not come out. Hook stared at Pan, thinking he was joking. "What?"

Pan rolled his eyes, but repeated the question nonetheless, "What would you do for Emma? Good God, Hook, it's the most easiest question in the world, requires the shortest of answers. Would you die for her?" Nothing, no answer, just him staring at the ground. Still, it was all Pan needed. He laughed, a loud, hearty laugh escaping him. "You would! Well, this day I shall certainly remember forever! The horrible captain Hook, the biggest of villains, willing to die for a woman who strings him along like the most common of pets."

Hook continued to stare at the ground, knowing that the little bug was only looking for a rise out of him. It was working, he had to admit - his hand was shaking and the urge to kill him was almost unbearable, but he controlled it, thinking of the little bottle in his hands. All he had to do was get that bottle, couldn't be so hard, right?

Wrong.

Pan stared him down, his eyes turning hard and cold. "You love her, don't you?" Again, no answer. "What would your dear Milah say to that, the woman who you promised you would never forget? I bet she would be thrilled to know that you replaced her in your heart so easily, falling for the first pair of pretty eyes at bothered to remember your name."

He threw the blade and it buried itself into Pan's shoulder, eliciting a hurtful cry from him. He gaped at the blade with his eyes burning, before he laughed and ripped it out of his shoulder, the sound of the blade scraping against the bone and the flesh making Hook's stomach churn. "I'll give you this, you still know how to throw a blade. Tell me, was that for Emma or Milah?"

"Both."

He stared at him for a long time, "What you feel for her, Hook, it's poison. It destroys much more than it creates. It's dangerous and it will be the end of you. Possibly all of us."

"Not this time, Pan. You want a bloody answer, fine, I would die for her. Because she's irritating and sometimes a real pain to be around, and her father, who likes to punch me, knows more about me than my own brother did, so yes, I would die for her because it isn't just about her anymore, it's about everything she stands for and everyone who she brings into my life."

The teenager was quiet, his silence seemingly entrapping Hook. "Pathetic," he said shortly, his face twisted up as he watched him, "but I am a man of my word so here," he said, throwing him the bottle,"It will give you three minutes. If I were you, I'd use them to say goodbye."

He caught the bottle with his good hand and tucked it into his pocket. "What do you get out of this?" he questioned, thinking this all seemed too easy when it came to Pan.

"Now, why would I tell you?"

"You like to brag and spread your wings, so let's hear it. What fresh hell do you have in store for me? Do you want to kill me?"

He seemed to think for a moment, "Think about it Hook. Why would _I _sent _Emma _in the past to kill you? If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done it by now. But what happens if Emma, the person who made you cuddly now, goes back to that dark, gloomy you?"

"She..." something clicked inside his mind and his shoulders tensed, the idea making him see spots. "She's going to-"

"Make your dark, broken heart whole again and turn you into the "honorable" man you are right now. You become good - you don't seek revenge. You don't seek revenge - you never end up in Neverland. You never end up in Neverland and-"

"I die," Hook finished, his strength disappearing from his body.

Pan nodded, fake sadness written on his face. "You die, two hundred and fifty years ago, like you were supposed to, had you not gone to Neverland."

He pinned him under his stare, "That was your plan all along, wasn't it? It will almost be like she's the one who killed me."

Pan waved his hand dismissively, but the grin on his face was all Hook needed. "Ah, you'll be dead, are we really going to blame each other when we're going to be mourning?"

"Fine, but what about the bottle? Why give it to me?"

"I like to know my enemies. Knowing how deeply you care not only for Emma but for all these people just made the game a lot more interesting."

"It isn't a game, you little demon."

"Of course it is. It's my game and you Hook," he tapped him on the chest, pushing him, "are just one of the pawns I like to play with. Except, unlike the rest of them, playing with you is _fun._"

Without another word, he was gone and Hook looked around, searching for signs of breathing on either David or Mary Margaret. he crouched down next to the prince and shook him roughly, making him jump up.

David looked up at him with wide eyes, looking profoundly annoyed once he realized there was no danger. "What the hell?"

"Wake up, princess, we have some work to do."

* * *

She has had enough.

Hook was nowhere to be found and she has had enough. She was done waiting for him to get his crap together, because it was painfully obvious he wasn't going to do it any time soon. She stared at the small village in front of her, wishing she could get off the damn ship for a while, get away from _him _for a while. Him not knowing who she was and treating her like an enemy got to her more than she was willing to admit. Not being alone for the last few months made her fall out of practice and she didn't know what to do with herself, now that she was constantly alone.

Smee and the rest of the guys tried to cheer her up, but they'd eventually start a fight over something, no matter how hard they tried not to. So she distanced herself from them, and stared at the village, wishing she could go and snoop around for a while.

Then she realized nobody was stopping her. She was free to do whatever the hell she wanted.

She swiped a knife from one of the guys and tucked it in her waistband, covering it with her shirt. She also hid one in her boot, just in case. She felt safer with a weapon. Making sure nobody saw her, she made her way down the plank, feeling something new set in her chest the second she stepped of Jolly. It was a mix of thrill and fear.

She stuck out like a needle in a haystack, and noticed the villagers were giving her weird looks no matter where she went. She felt like this was how they would watch some spoiled princess if she came and took a stroll around the village. For the first time in her life she felt like a royal and didn't like the feeling very much.

Still, it didn't stop her from going to the first bar or tavern or whatever the hell did they call it in the Enchanted forest.

It was a nice little place, and the man behind the counter seemed normal enough. He looked at her from head to toe when Emma settled herself in front of him, but not in a creepy way, more like an assessment, and didn't say anything.

"What would you like?" he asked, his voice sounding surprisingly warm. Emma tried not to let emotions show on her face, but the man could probably read people like a book if he worked as a barkeeper, a common replacement for a therapist.

"You got anything strong?" Emma asked, her voice sounding tired and weary.

"How strong?"

"Very strong."

He nodded and turned around, fetching a bottle of amber colored liquid. He placed a remarkably crafted glass in front of Emma and poured. "Bad day?" he asked, sounding genuinely interested.

Emma shook her head shortly, before she grabbed the glass. "Bad life," she said, taking a sip of the drink. Whatever he gave her was not only strong, it made every tequila shot Emma ever had seem like a sip of water. Emma choked on it and coughed, the drink burning her throat, making her eyes water. "Wow," she managed, "that's strong."

He shrugged, "I thought you'd like it."

"Oh no, I do," Emma assured him, downing the rest of it.

"He's a fool," the man said suddenly, making Emma look up at him.

"What?"

"The man who made you feel this way. He's a fool."

"Wow," she said, staring down her glass, "it really is true what they say about you, you really do know people."

"I try."

She sat there for the next hour or so, just drinking in silence, not in the mood to talk. It was getting late and men started to occupy more and more space in the tavern, making Emma fidget in her seat. She never liked to be surrounded by only men and there seemed to be very few women around, making her realize it was time for her to go.

"I have to go," she said quickly, dropping a few golden coins she pick-pocketed from the guys on the ship, they won't mind, on the wooden counter. "Thanks for listening to my sob story."

He smiled, almost friendly, like he knew her, and pushed the coins back to her. "It was no trouble. Anytime."

She smiled gratefully and put the coins back into her pockets, making her way out of the tavern. The second she walked out of the door the man's eyes light up and start to glow, a joyful cackle escaping his lips.

He was right, there she was. In all her magical glory.

* * *

Hook couldn't remember the last time he saw David looking like a thunder hit him, but when he told him of the bottle in his hand he was pretty sure the man was a second away from passing out. Or a heart attack.

Either way, he looked like somebody hit him over the head.

"He just gave you the bottle?" Mary Margaret asked, disbelief coloring her voice. "Doesn't sound like Pan." She seemed skeptic, but a small glint of hope did light up in her eyes.

"We made a deal. He gives me the bottle if I give him something in return."

"And what did you give him?" Neal asked, eyeing the bottle carefully, like it would blow up in his face any second now.

"I stay behind when you go back to Storybrooke," Hook lied. Even before he told them about the bottle he knew he wouldn't share the fact he was most likely going to vanish into thin air with the Charmings or Bea. He knew that it all depended on Emma, and if she proved to be as good as a reformer as Hook knew she was, he was most likely going to die. She was going to crawl into that dark hole he called a heart and destroy him from inside out.

"What?" David asked.

"Not the best deal Hook," Neal admitted, looking guilty. He hated this. People he knew and -sometimes- cared about, all getting stuck on the damned island, all because of him, who got them there in the first place.

"It got us the bloody dust, didn't it?" Hook growled, thrusting the bottle into Mary Margaret's hands. "All you have to do is smash it while thinking of Emma. It'll create a mist and... well, you'll see. But only you'll be able to speak to her and see her. The dust works as a replacement for a magic mirror."

"I'm really sorry, Hook," she said, glancing up at him.

"Don't be," he said curtly, ignoring David's glare, one that said he obviously didn't like him talking to his wife like that. "Just break it all ready."

She nodded, she fingers tightening around the bottle, before she closed her eyes. Her mind drifted to Emma almost immediately, the desire to see her daughter overpowering her. She uncurled her fingers and the bottle fell from her hands, smashing to pieces as it hit the ground. A small gust of wind ruffled through the jungle, lifting the dust up in the air. It started to glow, forming a circle, the mist in it making it hard for Mary Margaret to tear her eyes away.

She took a deep breath, grabbing David's hand, "Here we go."

* * *

Emma was walking towards Jolly Roger, when light blue mist started to form in front of her. She took a sharp step back, her hand reaching for her knife, just in case anyone decided to jump out of that thing. "What the hell?"

The dust formed a circle, which didn't freak her out as much as it should have. She waited carefully, not moving a single muscle. After a few long, quiet seconds, a voice came from the circle, a voice Emma knew well.

"Emma?" It was Mary Margaret, and she was calling for her. "Emma!" she yelled once she saw her, and Emma's eyes widened when her mother's face appeared in the circle.

"Mary Margaret?" she asked, not believing what she was seeing. "Wow," she said, looking back at the tavern, "that stuff is good. Two glasses and you start seeing things."

"Emma no, it's me! Hook got some fairy dust and... I don't have time to explain, we only have a few minutes."

"Wait, it's really you?" Emma asked, putting away her knife. Mary Margaret nodded, her eyes filling with tears. Now that she was looking at her, Emma felt her own eyes sting a bit. "You have no idea how much I miss you guys."

"I miss you too. But we don't have the time to be sentimental. Have you been able to find someone who can help you get back?" she asked.

"Uh, kind of. I talked to Tinkerbell."

"And?"

"And she said that the only way I can go back is either through another time portal or-" Emma's words faltered when she remembered the second option. _True love. _Knowing her mother was a romantic, she didn't want to give her false hope by telling her true love could save her, because Emma didn't buy it for a second.

"What? Emma, you have to hurry up," she urged her, a panicked look making its way on her face.

"True love," she said, "If I find my true love, and some damn fairy dust, I'll be able to come back."

Mary Margaret was watching her with wide eyes, and Emma could almost see the wheels turning in her head. "Okay, here's what your going to do-"

"Got you," someone said from behind her, grabbing Emma's wrists. She watched as the other man waved his hand, making the circle of dust disappeared, taking Mary Margaret's face with it.

"No," Emma said weakly.

The man holding her hands let out a sound between a gruff and a laugh, "Yes."

She ripped her hands out of his grasp, reaching for her blade. The adrenaline was now fully coursing through her body, and, fueled with anger, she felt like she could bite through him with her teeth. "You just made me lose connection to the mother I just got back. I'm going to kill you."

* * *

**Bad-ass Emma rulz. Lots of new things are coming, my friends, lots of new things.**

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so I hope it turned out okay. If you like it, press the little review button and let me know! Thank you all for your continuous support and amazing reviews, you make my day.**

**Bye! =D**


	6. The Magic In Her

**Sadly, I don't own Once Upon a Time. Why? Because life is not fair and it likes to kick us when we're down. No, I'm just kidding. Life's awesome and I'm underage. Still don't own the show though.**

* * *

"What? What happened?" David asked, staring at Mary Margaret's horror-filled face as the fairy dust disappeared in a burst of sparkles and mist. "Is she okay? What did she say?" he went on, oblivious to the tears that started to form in his wife's eyes.

"David," Neal and Hook barked at the same time, making him stop with his rapid questioning.

"What? Oh," he muttered when he finally noticed the heart-broken look on her face.

"She..." Mary Margaret whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek, "someone came up from behind her and cut the connection. Someone wants to hurt her, and there's nothing I can do," she said louder, anger slipping into her voice. "She... she looked so lost, David. So scared even though she didn't let it show," she cried quietly, wrapping her arms around him and burying her head in her shoulder.

David stared in front of him with a hard look on his face as he stroked her hair, trying to soothe her. He wasn't so sure it was working. He was barely keeping his own emotions at bay, how was he supposed to comfort her? "We'll find her," he said, putting more confidence in his voice than he actually felt. "I swear to you, we'll find her. We're not going to let go of her again."

"Pack up," he said, directing his gaze at Hook and Neal, "we're going after Pan and we're not stopping until he tells us how to get her back."

"And if he doesn't?" Hook dared himself to ask.

"Then we kill him."

* * *

Emma stared at the two men in front of her, blades in their hands. Lucky for her, she had a blade of her own and right now, she wasn't afraid to use it. The adrenaline was coursing through her system, making her hyper aware of everything that was going on around her.

"What do you want?" she asked, thinking she might as well know before she attacked them. If something went wrong and it turned out they only wanted to talk, she would carry that around with her, and she didn't need any more baggage. She already had her fifteen ton to lug around.

The man in front of her, the one who grabbed her hands, stepped forward and she saw his face. Emma narrowed her eyes at him when she realized he didn't look like a typical bad guy. Nice clothes, nice hair and a nice face. He looked rich - what the hell did he want with her? He had a peaceful smile on his face and his eyes never left Emma as he came nearer. His movements were too fluid, too perfect.

Emma immediately knew he wasn't human.

"What are you?" she asked, pressing her knife against his chest.

He laughed, "You noticed, didn't you? I thought you might, considering who you are and what you can do."

She stared at him, wondering what he was talking about. When he flicked his fingers and her knife disappeared she realized. He was talking about magic. He knew she was... the product of true love, as Gold liked to call her. He knew she could do magic, but how?

Still, she wasn't actually going to admit he was right, "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, playing dumb.

He arched an eyebrow, "Oh? And here I was, thinking that the bearer of the most powerful magic in existence would know what she was capable of."

Emma shrugged, smirking lazily, "Sorry, I don't."

"It's of no matter. He wants to see you," the guy in front of her said, and waved his hand. His sidekick made a move, stepping forward, and Emma took a sharp step back.

She eyed the man in front of her, the one obviously in charge of all the talking. "He? Who's he?"

The smirk fell for a split second, and was replaced by a serious look. "The Dark One."

Emma's jaw dropped and for a second, she just tried to process through his words. The Dark One? Rumpelstiltskin? What on earth could he want? If the timeline in her head was correct, then didn't Rumpelstiltskin lose Neal, or Bea, around this time? Why was he wasting his time looking for her, instead of his son?

Something didn't seem right.

Her thinking distracted her and the men used it to their advantage. The man who was quiet the whole time jumped forward, knocking her back up knife out of her hand. That's when the light went off in her head. She quickly snapped out of her thoughts and she swung forward aimlessly, hitting the man that was coming at her in the jaw. He stumbled at bit, only to come back a second later, running right at her, reminding her of a quarterback.

Or an angry pit bull.

She ducked the punch he was intending to give her, and kicked him in the kidney, making him yelp in pain. She moved back, seeing that the man in nice clothes was pulling out something from the inside of his jacket. Her eyes widened when she saw it was a magic wand. She slowly backed away, thinking that if she couldn't beat them, she sure as hell could run away from them. But the man who she kicked had gotten up while she wasn't looking, and he had his arms locked tightly around her waist before she even knew what was happening.

"No!" she yelled, pushing back, trying to knock him off-balance. But no matter how much she fought and trashed around, the bastard stood in one spot like a damn light post.

The man touched her forehead with the wand, making her will to struggle get bigger. "You will calm down, miss," he said, his voice low and calm, "Or I shall turn your heart into a pile of glass."

She let out a sarcastic laugh, but as she felt the heat radiating from the wand, all the will to fight disappeared from her body. She slumped in the man's hands, a hateful look crossing her face. "I don't know what Rumpelstiltskin told you to do with me, but if you bring me to him I swear to God you'll end up as a pile of mud." She was sure that once she told Gold everything (if he didn't already know, didn't someone say something about him being able to see the future?) he would stop whatever little game he was playing.

Either that or she'd tell him she'd make his son hate him once she got to her time. It wasn't her best move, but this wasn't the time to play fair.

He shrugged, moving the wand from her face to her neck, the little stick getting hotter and hotter with each inch it moved on her skin. "Ah, see this?" he asked, talking about the wand. "Your magic is fueling it. The more it stays in contact with you, more powerful it gets. Do you know now how strong your magic is?"

"All I know is that you're crazy. And whatever crumb of magic I have, I sure won't be sharing it with you."

He puckered his lips, seemingly thinking about her words. Emma knew it was all crap and some snarky comment was coming. "It's not like you'll have a choice," he said eventually, before the wand got so hot it made Emma want to bury her head in the dirt, her mind going blank from the pain. She saw spots in front of her eyes and she didn't even realize she was screaming in agony before a hand covered her mouth, making her shut up.

"Shhh, it will be over soon. There's more of your magic I can take. Don't worry, it will only hurt a lot."

She wanted to tell him to drop dead and call him the worst name in the book, but the hand of the man who held her in place stopped her. She figured she wouldn't be able to talk from the pain anyway. But the hand disappeared from her mouth, and the man wasn't holding her anymore. Without anyone to keep her in balance, she fell to her knees and then she found herself lying on the ground, the weakness from that moron taking her magic away affecting her strongly.

She barely had time to look up and see Hook holding a knife that had blood dripping off it, before the buzzing in her ears got too loud and she passed out.

* * *

The second he heard she had gone off the ship he knew she'd get in trouble. It was as clear to him as the way the sun rose and set, and he knew, even through all the rum and self-pity he was wallowing in, that he should go and look for her before she got herself killed. To anyone else his certainty would seem ridiculous, but just by looking at her eyes, he knew she was a magnet for all things bad.

Still, he stayed on board, thinking of his promise to her._ "If you fall into trouble, don't ask for my help." _She seemed pretty adamant back then that she could take care of herself, and he didn't even bother to doubt that. But still, that nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach got bigger and bigger as the night dragged on. An hour passed before he started pacing around his chambers. Another hour passed before he reached for his sword and a smaller blade which he tucked in his coat.

Bloody woman. Bloody infuriating woman.

He ran his hand over his face before pulling the door open and stalking out, following the ever so familiar feeling that something was wrong. He felt it when his parents died, he felt it just before the Crocodile ripped Milah's heart out. And he was feeling it now, which meant he would have to break his own damn promise.

Bloody woman.

He wondered the village for a while, searching for any sight of that blond mane of hers. He noticed a tavern in a slightly secluded part of the village and figured that's where she would go if she needed to think or wanted to get blind-side drunk. He made his way towards the small cottage, when a thought he heard someone scream popped into his head. He made a sharp turn and followed the shouts that quickly disappeared, making his steps become shorter and faster.

What he came to wasn't at all what he was expecting to see. Emma being held in place by one man, while the other maneuvered a wand in his hand. Hook wasn't sure if he was casting a spell on her or taking her magic away, but he wasn't about to ask him politely about it. He wasted no time, crossing the distance in a few strides, at the same time pulling out the blade from his coat.

The moment he neared the man holding Emma he dug it into his back, waiting until he released his grip on her before Hook pulled it out, letting the blade scrape his bones.

The man dropped the magic wand in surprise, and the glass stick bounced as it hit the ground. He went to pick it up, but Hook's look made him stop in his tracks. "He... he told me to-"

"Mate, I don't care. Go and tell him that I will kill you both if you even think about coming after her again. Do we understand each other?" Hook asked, doing his best not to look at Emma's lifeless body that was lying before his feet.

The man nodded, a scared glint lighting up in his eye and scattered away, his steps urgent and short. Hook watched him until he disappeared, making sure he wasn't coming back. He picked up the magic wand and tucked it into his pocket, almost sure he would need it later, before he crouched down next to Emma.

"Are you alive or not?" he mumbled under his breath, mostly to himself, as he flipped her on her back. Her eyes were closed, her features relaxed. He checked her pulse, and even tough it was weak, it indicated she was still alive. A sigh laced with annoyance escaped him as he put his hooked hand under her knees and the other under her back, lifting her up. "Come on," he said, talking to himself again.

Good thing she wasn't especially heavy, because Hook realized balancing and holding a woman with only one hand was a whole new definition of hell.

* * *

Emma woke up hours later, a headache threatening to split her skull. She barely managed to open her eyes and when she did, she quickly closed them because even the light coming from the candle next to her was too strong. A moan she was keeping in since that douche used her as a power generator threatened to escape her, so she rolled to her side and tried to figure out where she was.

It took her only a second to know she was in Hook's captain cabin, and not because the said captain was sleeping in an armchair not far from her, a compass in his hand. She opened her mouth to call him, but no sound came out. The throat ache became painfully evident when she tried to speak and she figured this was the punishment for all her girly screaming.

"You didn't peg me as a slacker, Swan," Hook said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Wh-" she started, but her voice came out rough and raspy, making her clear her throat. "What are you talking about? How long was I out?"

"A day," he said nonchalantly, shrugging in his seat. Emma's eyes bugged out, and she shot up in her seat, dizziness washing over her a moment later. "Easy there," Hook advised, though Emma could hear he was making fun of her.

"Whoa," she said, trying to make the room stop spinning. She looked at him, "What do you mean I've been out for a day? Did you even check to see if I was dead or did you just 'go with it'?"

He shrugged again, taking a swig from his bottle. "I brought you here. My work is done."

"Jack ass," she said, shaking her head. She swung her feet to the side of the bed, even though Hook's expression clearly said he didn't think it was a good idea. Her feet gave out as she tried to stand, and she realized Hook knew what was going to happen because he was propping her up before she even hit the ground. He half-pushed her back on the bed, ignoring her protests.

"I can walk by myself, thanks a bunch," Emma remarked dryly, sounding stronger than she felt. In reality, her head hurt and she felt sick and dizzy, her muscles on both arms and legs seemed to shake with every movement and it was making her incredibly frustrated. Hook's smug smirk didn't help her case either, it made her feel weaker and she just wanted to punch it off his face, even though he saved her life a day ago.

"I can see that. You're doing a very good job, love," he said, sarcasm dripping down his chin.

Her head snapped to him, her eyes wide. He arched an eyebrow at the look on her face, but didn't say anything. He didn't seem to care. But Emma was still reeling, trying to rid herself of the feeling spreading through her. _Love. _The nickname she once hated was now making her feel more at home, making her feel like everything around her wasn't so unfamiliar. She stared at her feet, trying to come up with an understandable sentence. But all she could do was fight the nostalgic feeling a simple word brought her.

"You said you weren't going to help me," she blurted out, before a grin appeared on her face because it was her turn to be smug. "You said that if a got into trouble you wouldn't do a thing."

"Yes, well, couldn't let that _animal _take your magic away, now could I?" he asked, reaching to the inside of his coat. Emma watched as he pulled out a light purple glowing stick. The magic wand felt warm on her skin when he handed it to her, and she stared at it in wonder.

"This damn thing is the reason I felt like I had my spine ripped out through my nose?" she wondered out loud, eliciting a laugh from Hook. She glanced up at him, realizing it was the first time she had heard him laugh since she landed on the deck of Jolly Roger. She didn't say anything though, she just went back to looking at the wand. "Well, I don't need it," she said finally, about to throw it away, when Hook grabbed her forearm.

"Don't," he said, his voice warning.

"Why not?"

"Because..." he trailed off, making her grab both ends of the stick, "if you don't break it in half, you won't get your magic back."

"Why didn't you break it by now?" she asked. "You've had it for a day now."

"Because then I'd get your magic, and I don't want it."

Emma blinked. Well, that didn't sting one bit. She avoided his gaze and stared at the glass stick in her hands. She considered just throwing it away, to hell with being magical, when she remembered Henry, who she yet had to save. Maybe her "powers" could help her get back to her parents and Henry. Not wanting to give herself time to change her mind, Emma broke the wand in half.

She didn't feel any different, except that the sickness in her stomach died down a bit. It was back the second she tried to stand.

"You didn't mention you were magical when you said you wanted to stay on the ship," he said a few minutes ago, after Emma stopped fighting the urge tp puke.

She shrugged, feeling as if he was reading her very center as he stared at her, "I just don't think I'm... magical, or whatever. I'm kinda new to this whole 'Enchanted forest, magic is real' thing."

"Well, obviously you're powerful, or they wouldn't even bother to take your magic."

Emma opened her mouth to retort, when the door burst open and Smee ran inside, a terrified look on his face. "Ogres," he said, the single word etched with more fear than Emma has ever heard. "They're wrecking through the village! And they're coming towards us!"

* * *

**Ohhh, cliffhanger ;) Next chapter brings us more CS progress and action, so leave a review and tell me what you thought of the chapter. Your kind words make my day!** **Until next time, oncers =)**


	7. No Pain, No Gain

Emma stared blankly at Smee, not wanting to understand his words. Still, the man had a horrified look on his face and even though he was across the room, she could see he was shaking.

"Smee, where are they?" Hook asked, his voice serious. He was already shuffling around his cabin, picking up maps and his sword, obviously preparing for a fight.

"A few miles east, my captain. But they're coming, they're turning everything in their way into dust."

"Do we have time to set sail?"

Emma looked between the men as they spoke, and tried to stop her stomach from turning. Ogres? Freaking _ogres? _She was still woozy and couldn't trust her own two feet, how in the hell was she supposed to fight an ogre? Especially more than one?

"We won't even have half of the cargo on ship by the time they come."

Hook cursed, bowing his head in thought. After a few moments of stretched, tense silence, he looked up, his face determined. "Then we fight," he said and Emma realized that in that moment, he was looking like the Hook from the future. Even so, he sounded like him and had the same fiery look on his face. If the circumstances were any different, she would have laughed. Ogres were turning his poor soul around.

"But why come for us?" Smee asked a question everyone seemed to want the answer to.

"Rumpelstiltskin," Emma said. She wasn't sure until the word was out of her mouth, but when she said it, it made all the sense in the world. Hook sent him a message. He hated Hook. He wanted the ogres to turn them into a pancake. She noticed the slightly confused look on Hook's face. "It has to be him. We pissed him off and now he wants to make us pay. Bastard has a dumb sense of humor," she muttered, throwing her feet over the side of the bed. She stumbled around for a bit, before regaining her balance. She grabbed a knife and its sheath, before turning to look at the two men who stood silently in the doorway, watching her.

"Now, does one of you two know how to kill an ogre?"

* * *

"First, we get them away from the ship. They'll tear it apart if they come near it and it's quite self-explanatory why we can't let that happen," Hook said, drawling out. His crew was huddled around him and the map he had laid out in front of him. After announcing they'd be fighting the slimy bastards that were approaching them, Hook began to work through their fighting tactics.

"As miss Swan and I conceded, the easiest way to kill them would be to run an arrow through their heart, which is exactly what we're going to do. There are crossbows in the-"

"Excuse me, captain," one of the men interrupted, raising his hand like a frightened schoolboy, making Hook roll his eyes, "but where is Emma?" the rest of the pirates looked around, his words making them realize she was nowhere in sight.

"Miss Swan is somewhere where she won't be causing us any troubles. Do you have a problem with that?" he asked, his eyes glinting menacingly. The man quickly shook his head, and Hook kept his glare steady for another second, before nodding sharply.

"Now, back to the plan."

...

Emma struggled against the rope that once again found its way to her wrists. She tried to wriggled her hands out, but after a few futile tries, she sighed, slumping in her spot. She only stopped struggling when she felt the pain from the rope burns she caused.

"Hook!" she screamed, straining herself to look at the hatch above her. "You son of a bitch! Hook!"

After she had told him everything David taught her about planning in the little time they spent together in Neverland, Hook decided it would be best if she was somewhere where she wouldn't "kill anyone", as he had put it. He said she wasn't even supposed to be on the ship, considering the possibility of her sinking it, which was a bit crazy in Emma's opinion. She knew that weird crap followed her, but she didn't have luck _that _bad. But Hook swiftly knocked her out, and Emma remembered feeling like a wiener, which probably meant he flung her over his shoulder, and carried her to the same place she was before.

Below the damn deck.

"Don't be an idiot, I can help!" she yelled, hoping he'd get some common sense knocked into him, but no such luck. He remained stubborn and pig-headed, just like he was when Emma first met him.

She groaned, letting her head fall back in defeat. She could hear the noise the ogres were making, they were getting dangerously close, she could tell. The feeling of helplessness spread through her, pushing out the fear. She wanted to go out there, she wanted to fight. The idea of Hook thinking she couldn't handle it unsettled her. She took down a freaking dragon, surely she could handle an ogre.

She shook her head. Who was she kidding? She still saw double when she tried to stand or if she held her breath in for too long. Hook was probably right. This time, she couldn't handle it. She'd probably end up splattered all over the deck. She let out a troubled breath, her hope flickering when she thought that maybe that's why Hook kicked her below deck. Maybe he didn't think she couldn't hold her ground in a fight with an ogre, maybe he _knew _she couldn't, since she could barely walk.

Maybe it mattered. Maybe she did.

But as the ropes loosened and eventually fell off, freeing her hands, she jumped to her feet, ignoring the nausea that washed over her. Screw him and what he thought, she wasn't about to let them all get killed because of her.

Lucky for her, she still had her knife on, and she quickly made her way to the deck. She burst out just in time to duck from a boulder that wheezed past her head and struck the cabins, making wood planks fly everywhere.

"Holy crap," she breathed out. Looking around, she saw four ogres raging around, and Hook's pirates clinging to them like they were Christmas decoration. She saw one with half a tree in his hands, using it as a club to wave around and try to strike the men surrounding him. She noticed his eyesight was terrible, and he kept coming up blank, hitting the dock he was on instead of men.

She was about to go and help take care of him when in the corner of her eye she noticed something else. Turning around, she saw that Hook was taking on an ogre all by himself, something Emma considered to be incredibly stupid. He ducked from the iron bar in his hands, and tried to stab him with his sword, but the ogre swung his hand, hitting him with force and pinning him to the mast.

Emma didn't even think when she saw the ogre was about to beat him to death, she grabbed her blade and threw it, closing her eyes, praying that she had at least some of David's skills. She cracked an eye open only to see an ogre sprawled on the ground, her knife sticking out his back, right where his heart was. She caught Hook's eyes, who was staring at her with a slightly stunned look. He ripped the knife out and handed it to her when he reached her. She took it a bit hesitantly, not sure where he was coming from.

"Guess you'd make a good pirate," he said.

She almost smiled at his words. "I've heard that before. Should've left you to die, though."

A smirk stretched his lips, "Next time, I'm using iron handcuffs."

"Can't wait," she smirked sarcastically.

He opened his mouth to retort, when a crash got their attention and they spun on their heels to look for the source. Two ogres were smashing their fists into the ship, the force of their blows slowly making the wood collapse and crack.

"No!" Hook yelled when he saw what they were doing, a furious look settling on his face. Emma grew grim too, feeling more than irritated that they were destroying the ship she spend the last few weeks on and was starting to see as her home for the time being - until they rescued Henry.

They both ran to them, Emma grabbing a sword on her way. Hook jumped on one of the ogres from the deck, and Emma jumped on the dock, drawing the attention of the ogre. He turned to her, and huffed.

"Wow, you're ugly," she said, taking him in from head to toe. His height cast a shadow on her and he looked like he ate things bigger than her for breakfast, which was slightly discouraging. His skin was sickly pale, grey even, and it only made his black eyes stand out more on his large head. Greasy hair fell on his face, casting shadows on it, which only made him look scarier and angrier.

She charged at him, trying to cut him below his ribs, but he swung his fist, which was about the size of Emma's head, making her duck. She got behind him, and managed to strike him just above his waist, making him howl in pain. His eyes flashed when he turned around, and Emma swallowed thickly, realizing she only managed to piss him off more.

She moved out of the way when he thrust forward to punch her, and backed away when he tried to kick her. She looked around, panic filling her chest when she saw that she was nearing the edge of the dock. If he kept coming, she'd have to jump in the water or she'd end up about as dead as they come. She evaded another one of his punches and stabbed him in the shoulder, feeling slightly proud of herself as she did so. She couldn't wait to tell the story to Henry.

If she lived long enough, that is.

A few minutes later, she was taking over the advantage, but was growing weaker and more tired with every step she made. Her strength was quickly leaving her, and before she knew it, she was finding it hard to stand. Her knees gave out for a split second, but even that was enough for the ogre to grab her by the neck and press her to the side of the ship.

"No!" she heard Hook yell and she looked at him, tearing her eyes away from the ogre. She heard Hook yell something but couldn't register what, the feeling of the monster in front of her slowly breaking her neck enveloping her. Hook wasn't paying attention to his own opponent and Emma could only let out a strangled scream when the ogre knocked him down, placing his foot on his chest, pinning him to the ground.

Her vision slowly blurred as the seconds ticked by, both of them trying to struggle but not really getting anything out of it. Spots clouded her vision as the oxygen slowly left her lungs, and she sure it was the end. She'd die as a chew toy for an ogre.

Then, she saw the ogre move his other foot to Hook's neck, the attention of snapping it clear to her. Fear made her stomach churn and twist. His eyes locked with hers and the helpless look on his face made every thought fly out of her head. She felt something boil in the pit of her stomach, and it spread through her like wildfire, making her fingertips itch. It wasn't long until she realized she was burning up, and it soon got too much to handle.

She screamed when the heat got too high, and before she knew it, the ogre was flying twenty feet in the air, falling straight into the ocean. She stared with wide eyes, forgetting how to breathe as she tried to figure out what just happened. Did she use _magic? _

The idea shouldn't have scared her as much as it did, she used magic before, but that was to use some stupid chalk to _draw invisible lines. _This... this was something completely new. Something she hadn't seen either Gold or Regina do.

This was dangerous.

She slowly rose on her feet, and the ogre backed away from Hook with a scared look.

"Yeah, you better run, buddy," she said, thanking dear God he was leaving on his own account. She didn't want to hurt him and even if she did, she wouldn't know how. Hook obviously didn't share her opinion, because as soon as he was on his feet, he ran his sword through the ogre's heart, making him fall to his knees with an empty look on his face. The dock shook a little when he hit the floor boards, and Emma stared at him with her mouth hanging open.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded. "He was about to leave!" she couldn't believe she was defending the thing, but Hook's heartlessness set her off.

"The Crocodile would have done the same thing to him, except it would have been a lot more painful," he said, wiping his sword with his coat.

Emma could tell he was lying and making excuses, he just wanted to make the ogre pay, but she felt too weak to argue with him over it. Instead, she settled for grumbling under her breath. "That's right," she muttered darkly, "I forgot you were still a heartless bastard."

"What was that?" he asked, looking up.

"Nothing," she growled, pushing past him roughly as she made her way to the ship.

* * *

After they got rid of the ogres' bodies, Hook's crew, along with Hook and this time Emma, huddled together to decide the aftermath. It was a unanimous decision that they all wanted to leave this particular realm, the whole thing with the ogres shaking the pirates up. They all wanted to set sail the second the Sun went down and Emma wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Shortly after, she sat in a hammock she claimed -it was the same one she slept in during their search for Henry- and tried to sort through her thoughts. She was interrupted when she heard footsteps approaching her. She looked up and she saw Hook walking towards her. He had a rag that looked somewhat clean and a bottle of rum in his hand. He pulled up a crate in front of Emma and settled on it.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "What are you doing?"

"Your arm," he said shortly as he soaked the rag with rum. "It's making my crew run away in bloody tears as if they were toddlers. But honestly, love, it's a bit disgusting," he admitted.

She looked at him as if he was crazy, completely lost. What in the hell was he talking about? She followed his eyes that were glued to her upper arm, her eyes widening and stomach churning when she saw what he was staring at. She had a huge gash on her arm and her whole damn limb was covered in dry blood, making it look completely and utterly horrifying.

"Oh my God," she managed.

"I'm honestly surprised you haven't passed out from blood loss by now," he said, pressing the rag slowly to her wound. Emma hissed in pain and jerked away, only to get pulled back to her spot. "Stay still," he commanded, moving the rag gently up and down her arm.

"I didn't even realize I was freaking dying," she muttered. She tried to move her arm but realized she couldn't. "Damn it, it's numb."

"Surprise, surprise," he mumbled as well. Emma saw he was concentrating on her wound, and felt slightly grateful for it. Now that the adrenaline from the fight was wearing off, everything her like hell.

She threw him a sideways look, "Did you get beat to a pulp?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I've had better days, but I'll survive."

"Too bad."

He smirked at her but kept his mouth shut. A second later, he pushed on the wound, making Emma gasp in pain and grab the first thing she could reach, in this case, his coat, and grip as tight as she could. "What the hell, Hook?"

He glanced at her, "Pirates never play fair, Swan. You might want to remember that."

She scoffed, deciding the best course of action would be to just ignore the moron. Silence fell upon them, and they both got lost in their thoughts, although Hook's were apparently more dangerous than Emma's, who was thinking about hot showers and a good cup of coffee. "You didn't peg me as a sorcerer kind of type," he said.

"That's because I'm not."

"Didn't seem like it at the dock. You threw that monster away like a joke. Why didn't you do it before?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"Because I can't do it!" she shouted, his pushing finally getting the best of her. "I have no idea how to use magic and the only reason I was able to do as much today was because..." her voice faltered, and she came to a stop. She didn't want him to know the real reason. Seeing him get almost killed was obviously enough for her to go all-Cora on everything, and she didn't like the idea.

"Because?" he asked, looking up. She met his eyes and clenched her fist. She felt as though as he could read through everything she said, which unnerved her.

She drew in a sharp breath, "Because..."

* * *

**Sorry for the delay, dearies, but I've been wrapped up in school work. Damn midterms and whoever invented them... I hope you like the chapter, I think it turned out okay. **

**Leave a review below and let me know. Reviews are love, just like ****Snow White and Charming, Nutella and I =)**


	8. The Story Of True Love

"Because... I didn't want either of us to get killed. I still need your help to get back, even though you're being an ass about it," she smirked, enjoying the look of aggravation that crossed his face. She watched him roll his eyes before he turned his focus back to her arm, and she kept quiet, not wanting to give him another reason to press on the wound.

"So... this lad of yours, what's his name?" Hook asked, his voice bland. Emma narrowed her eyes at him for a second, thinking he was trying a bit too hard to sound not interested.

Still, his question surprised her, "Henry," she said softly. A smile tugged on her lips when she thought of him and all the things he made her go through. "He's kind of awesome," she said after a while, "sometimes I can't believe he's actually my kid."

"Why not?" he asked, twisting his body around to grab the bottle of rum and soak the rag with it some more.

"Well I'm not really the parenting type, and he's so... not like me. He just... believes, you know? He thinks the good always wins and that true love is out there for everyone and things like that. I'm not like that. I'm a lot more grounded. It was him that made me believe in magic in the first place. And we both went to hell and back before I actually started to believe."

"And what happened to him?"

"His father's fiancée and her boyfriend kidnapped him and took him to Neverland," Emma said, making Hook to look up. She noticed the mix of surprise and curiosity in his eyes and immediately thought she blurted out the wrong thing. But when his interrogation continued she relaxed, thinking he might let her slip slide.

"His father kidnapped him?" he asked suddenly, and Emma frowned.

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

He cocked his head, "You just said his father's fiancée and her boyfriend kidnapped him. Isn't Henry's father the... boyfriend?"

She thought about it, and almost wanted to laugh when she realized how it sounded to anyone who wasn't familiar with the complicated history of their family. God forbid she told him that Henry's father was the son of the woman he was still pining after and that the Dark one was Henry's grandfather. Hook would probably make her walk the plank.

"Oh man, no," she shook her head, "she wanted to get to Henry, that's why she got together with Neal, but she had a real boyfriend on the side, and he helped her take Henry away. Crazy bitch..." Emma muttered, her mood growing dark as she thought about Tamara and Greg and all the crap they caused and made them go through.

Hook looked like he wanted to say something, but he shook his head shortly and went back to cleaning her wound. He cleaned almost all the dry blood and Emma could see traces of her skin, which looked sickly pale and was taking on a more gray-ish color. She frowned, trying to figure out how she didn't notice the huge gash before. It certainly poked her in the eye now.

A few minutes later, Hook got up and fetched another rag, this one looking pristine clean. He slowly pressed it to her wound and tightened it with a leather lace, making the pain die down slightly. Emma observed her hurt limb, thinking of a way to say thanks. What was she supposed to say?

Thanks for making sure my arm, which was hurt in an _ogre attack, _wouldn't fall off?

"You should eat something," he said eventually, "or you might really lose consciousness," he smirked, "it would be a shame if you fell overboard."

She gave him a dark look, but got up to follow him as he made his way to the deck. At the mention of food, her stomach growled loudly. Now that she thought about it, she really was starving.

Her stomach growled again, and she could see Hook smirking as he walked in front of her. She looked at her middle. Traitor.

* * *

The next few days seemed to grow long, with Hook barricading himself in his cabin. He never came out, and Emma tried to figure out why. Her gut told her it had something to do with her, and that only made her more anxious to find out what was going on in that crazy head of his. She would spend the day trying to muster up enough courage to break down the damn door and drag him out by his hair, but then night would come and she'd give up, going back to her hammock and thinking about Henry and her parents.

During the nights, Emma was woken up regularly in the middle of the night by Hook's screaming. He kept calling out for Milah, shouting like it was his last breath. Emma would lie in her hammock and try to block him out, but every single one of his cries was like a cut through the quiet night air, making it seem like it was the only sound she could heard. After he'd stop screaming, a few quiet minutes would pass, and then she would hear him walking around deck, pacing like a mad man. She saw him drenched in sweat, his hair sticking to his face, which was ghostly pale.

So she let him pace and left him to scream, until one night, when she couldn't take the sleep deprivation and the torture anymore.

That night, they set sail towards another realm, another kingdom. Emma overheard one of the pirates say they were going to a place where, supposedly, the Dark one liked to cause the most havoc. It was, according to him, Rumpelstiltskin's former home, the place where he lived before he got his powers. Emma refused to believe the man until she saw the place with her own eyes, but still, hope gnawed on her insides.

Was it possible? Were they really travelling to Snow White and Prince Charming's future kingdom? Emma rubbed her eyes as she stared at the water under her. It'd be a blessing if they were. To say she's been feeling useless for the past few days would be an understatement of epic proportions. This way, they'd be going to a place she has already been to and she'd know something.

The whole adventure -debacle- with the Mad Hatter's hat, Aurora, Mulan, Cora, the beanstalk and Hook was still fresh in her mind. Her palms itched at the memory and a frown found its way on her face. She remembered how she ditched Hook on that beanstalk, how she just about left him to die. Why did she do that again? Right, she didn't trust him. It was funny how trusting him came so easily to her now.

She lied in her hammock later that night, feeling the ship rock slowly on the waves underneath her, and she tried to lull herself to sleep, failing miserably. She bumped her arm earlier in the day, and it was now throbbing painfully and every breath made it hurt more, which, along with thinking of home, made up the perfect way not to get a wink of sleep. She climbed out to the deck and headed for the cabins with a sigh, fully knowing she should just go back and try to fall asleep.

But she ignored her own instincts, and continued her search for Hook, who, just like she expected, could be heard pacing around his cabin. She stopped in front of his door, thinking of her next step. Should she go in? No, she shouldn't, she knew that, but she didn't care. She was feeling slightly homesick, and since he was the closest thing to home right now, she wanted to be near him.

She knocked softly, once, twice, before opening the door. He stopped pacing, and turned to her with an empty look. "What are you doing here?" he asked almost rudely.

She thought quickly, "My arm's killing me. Came to get more rum," she lied, shrugging her shoulders. Though when she thought about it, it wasn't actually a lie, her arm really was killing her. "I see you're having a good night's dream," she commented sarcastically noticing the bags under his eyes. She didn't want to mention she heard him scream every night, thinking that would only make him more hostile.

He handed her a flask. "None of your business."

Ignoring the sting his words brought, she rolled her eyes, trying to look as indifferent as possible. "Fine, whatever." She turned around and headed for the door, hoping with every piece of her that he'd say something to stop her from leaving. With every step she made the hope got crushed, because he stayed silent.

Until she reached for the knob.

"Can't say I've slept lately."

She stopped, "Why's that?" she asked, her back still turned to him.

"A monster killed a woman I love not long ago," he said coldly, cutting straight to the chase.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

He laughed, almost sardonically, "There's nothing for you to be sorry about. It's him that will get to feel all the pain, once I get my hand on him. Another thing he's responsible for. Made me lose two things I can't live without at once." The pain he tried to mask in his voice was still audible and Emma kept herself from wincing. She wanted to tell him that it got better later on, that the pain would subside with time, but she knew she couldn't. So she settled on looking as if she was sorry but not like she knew too much. It proved to be harder than she thought it would. Faking crap was hard.

"I can't really say I know the feeling," Emma admitted. It was true. She never had things _taken away _from her. David and Mary Margaret put her in that closet willingly, she gave up Henry because she thought it was for the best, Neal left her because he wanted to. There was never anything for her to lose anyway. She played with the bottle in her hands for a few minutes, before finally settling on the edge of his bed. "My parents..." she started, her voice heavy.

"Yeah, who are they anyway? They keep coming up in this interesting life story of yours, yet they remain a mystery," Hook said quickly, obviously eager to change the subject, or at least get it away from him.

She knew what he was doing, but she let it slide. She wasn't in the mood to have that fight anyway. "They're... Snow White and Prince Charming. That probably doesn't mean anything to you, since they haven't even been born yet."

He lowered himself into his armchair, and Emma relaxed in her spot on the bed, leaning her back against the wall. It seemed he was good enough with her being there. "And what is their tale? Their names are ridiculous, by the way," he mentioned.

Emma snorted, "Hey, those are my parents you're talking about. Anyway, I... don't really know where to start. They kind of have a long story. Like, the world history book is small compared to theirs. I guess I can start with David, my father. He had this twin brother, but his parents gave James, the other one, to Rumpelstiltskin in exchange for a farm or something. James became a prince and David... a shepherd," she saw Hook roll his eyes and bit her tongue to stop herself from blurting out that him and David were forming one pretty disturbing bromance back in Neverland.

"Anyway, James got stabbed to death and David had to take his place to kill a dragon that was terrorizing this rich kingdom. After he, god I have no idea how he did it, killed the thing, the king wanted him to marry his daughter. They were travelling to another castle when Snow White cut down a tree and robbed them, after which David swore he'd find her which kind of became their thing, true love and everything. But Snow White had this step mother that was a real piece of work and..."

She went on, telling him the story she learned by heart in the last few months since she found out magic existed. She spent so much time staring at Henry's storybook, and every story, every detail from it became etched into her brain. She could tell the story with little to no trouble, and surprised herself with the flow of the sentences.

"... and he managed to find her, but she was under the sleep curse and the dwarfs thought she was dead. But when he kissed her she woke up and that's when everyone realized just how strong true love was. Reading about it, that's when I realized it too," Emma said quietly. She opened her mouth to get on with the rest of the story, but when she looked at Hook she saw he was out cold, his chest steadily rising and falling. "And you're sleeping," she mumbled. "How long have I been talking?"

She shook her head, pushing herself out of her spot. She gripped the flask in her hand as she made her way to the door. She gave him one last look before disappearing through the door, fighting the want, the desperation that suddenly spread through her chest. She saw the peaceful look on his face, and instantly wished she was back home, where he wore that look much more often, not just when he was asleep. Everything felt wrong in this world, everything felt out of place.

Except him. And she hated him for that.

She plopped into her hammock, nestling the flask in her hands. She realized why Hook liked to drink so much. There wasn't really anything else to do on the ship. She waited in silence for his screams to start, thinking that maybe her story made it worse. She kept talking about true love, maybe he'd have dreams about Milah that were worse than before. Hours passed by slowly, but the ship stayed silent.

It was the first night she was on board during which he didn't wake up screaming.

* * *

Mary Margaret was tired. They'd been walking for hours on end and she was starting to feel drained. She was persistent, and ever the survivor, but even she couldn't keep up with David and Hook's rigorous pace that had them moving through the jungles of Neverland. Her shoulder was slowly healing, but it still made her whole body hurt as she carried her bow and arrows around.

"That's it!" she yelled, making the two men stop. Regina, Rumpelstiltskin and Neal have separated from them, moving on to look for Henry, agreeing that Mary Margaret, Hook and David would continue the search for Emma. They were hunting for Pan, who apparently had two hiding places he liked to coop up in. In one he held Henry, and that's where Regina insisted they should go.

_"Regina, you've lost your mind. We're not leaving Emma alone to figure out a way to get back!" Snow screamed at the woman in front of her, wishing she could rip her head off. _

_"She'll be fine!" Regina fired back, her eyes lighting up dangerously. She wanted her son back, couldn't any of these people understand that? "Lucky for you, your daughter's like a cockroach - she survives through anything. If you think she won't find a way to get Captain Hook here on his knees than you're even slower than I thought. Henry, however, is small and defenseless, he can't handle Pan on his own. He's the one who needs to be found!"_

_"Well so does Emma!" Snow shouted. "And I'm not doing anything other than finding her. Regina, Pan needs Henry, he won't hurt him, while Emma might already be dead for all we know."_

_"Wouldn't that be a good thing?" the queen muttered under her breath quietly, though not quiet enough for Snow not to her. The men surrounding them two didn't even get to blink before she had Regina pinned against a palm tree, her fore arm pressing on her throat. Snow's eyes flashed dangerously. She couldn't do this, not now. She was tired, hungry and scared for her daughter, she couldn't fight with Regina now. Somewhere deep down she knew the queen was almost in an same situation, but she couldn't bring herself to care._

_"If you ever..." she whispered, "say something like that again, I will have your heart Regina. I swear to you."_

_"Mary Margaret!" David shouted, moving in to tear her away. "Stop it," he asked her, tightening his grip around her waist, pulling her away. "Emma's okay, and it'll all be okay," he cooed softly in her ear, making the tension ease up. "How about this," he started, "we split up. Mary Margaret and I will go to Pan's north hide out, where all his magic doodles are, and you four go to the south one, where he's keeping Henry. That way, we get to save both Emma and Henry. How about that?"_

_Hook and Neal immediately started to protest, breaking into a serious of loud speeches and shouts. As far as David could keep up, they weren't happy with the idea and neither of them wanted to go with Rumpelstiltskin and Regina. But David knew he couldn't leave those two alone, free to plot and come up with whatever fresh hell they could think of._

_"Enough!" he commanded loudly, using his 'prince voice'. Apparently it was still effective, because both Hook and Neal calmed down, shooting him dark looks. He ignored them slyly, "You need to figure it out, stop acting like kids. You want to help her? Fine! Finding Henry is also helping her, think about it that way. Neal, I think you should go with Regina and Rumpelstiltskin," David said seriously. The man opened his mouth to fight back, but David quickly cut in, "He's your son."_

_Neal shut his mouth, nodding swiftly after a few seconds of considering David's words. "You're right."_

_David dragged him away from the group, "Make sure they're not up to anything... bad," he advised. "If you notice anything out of the ordinary, get away from them and find Henry on your own. I would suggest you knock them out, but I doubt that would help you."_

_Neal smirked at his words, "Got it. Though I think it'll be okay, dad's been trying to... I don't know, be the best he can, I guess," he said, scratching the back of his neck. David nodded seriously, before they both headed back to the group._

_The prince turned to his wife and the pirate smirking at him, "Well, now, can we get going?"_

"Mary Margaret?" David asked, worry showing on his face, "What's wrong?"

She stayed silent for a few moments, and Hook and Charming's eyes stayed glued to her. "Everything," she said finally, "everything is wrong about this."

* * *

Emma was woken up by thunder booming above her. Her eyes snapped open and she shot up, looking around. She relaxed when she realized where she was, and breathed out in relief when she figured out she was finally able to get some sleep. Sure, it couldn't have been more than two or three hours, but for her, it felt like ten. Her shoulder didn't hurt as much as it did before and her mood was definitely improving.

Still, that didn't stop her from jumping when thunder struck again. She broke out to the deck, and looked around, her eyes searching for Hook. She saw him manning the ship, yelling out orders, making pirates run around the ship like scared chickens. He was looking at the sky, his face grim and worried. Emma followed him and looked up too, her breath hitching when she saw the dark grey clouds above them, lighting up every now and then. She finally saw Hook's reason to worry. They were out in the open sea and it seemed like the weather was going to be a bitch.

They were sailing straight into a storm. A bad one.

* * *

**Alas, I wanted to update today while I still had the time. Stupid school. Also, twenty reviews for the last chapter? You guys rock! I hope you liked this chapter, I had a lot of writing it and it's one of my favorites really, especially the part where Emma tells the story of Snow White and Charming. **

**Uh-oh, next chapter brings us the storm and there's gonna be some suspense there... suspenseful... obviously.**

**Well, review if you liked the chapter, I'm thrilled by your feedback! **

**'Till next time =)**


	9. The Storm That Wouldn't Pass

"Hook?" Emma asked when she reached him. "What's going on?"

"I think it's bloody obvious," he muttered. "There's a storm coming in, and it's bound to catch us defenseless."

"Isn't there a port or something around?" she asked hopefully, though she already knew the answer.

He shook his head, finally meeting her eyes. "We wouldn't make it even if there is. We'll have to go through it, sorry Swan. I suggest you go back under deck, and don't come out. When the sky breaks open, you will be praying to survive," she wanted to punch him for looking almost _proud _as he said they all might die. She knew he loved the ocean, but he was being ridiculous. If ogres, magic or knives didn't kill her, she wouldn't let a little water do it either.

"Great," she drawled out. "Well the sky is turning off and on like a Christmas light, so sorry if I don't stay here to look at it. I'm gonna go sleep or something, wake me up when the storm's over."

"Actually..." he started, but swallowed his words.

She turned to him with a suspicious look on her face, "What?"

He shook his head, "Nothing of importance. Go back under, this could get ugly."

She looked up at the sky once more, "Oh, it's already ugly." As if on cue, lighting cracked across the sky again, making her groan.

The situation got slightly out of hand a few hours later, when the ship started rocking like crazy, making Emma feel a mix of seasickness and terror. With every lean to the left or right she felt her stomach clench more, and after a while it got unbearable to be under deck, where she started to feel like she was suffocating to death. She got out to the deck and even though it was supposed to be day, the sky was grim and the clouds were darker than Emma had ever seen them.

Rain drops fell on her skin as she looked for Hook, and by the time she found him, she was drenched to the bone, her teeth chattering slightly from the cold. He was helping some of his men get the mast down, to stop it from breaking under the gusts of wind. He noticed her approaching and his eyes widened for the smallest fraction, something Emma noticed against her will.

"What are you doing here?" he yelled over the deafening noise the downpour was creating. "I told you to go under deck!" Suddenly, the ship dipped sharply, making them all plunge forward. Emma tried to grab onto something to keep herself from losing her balance. She grabbed the railing and gripped it until her knuckles turned white.

"I want to help!" she screamed back.

"Then go somewhere where you won't get us all killed!" he shot back in an instant, pulling on the rope tighter. His face twisted from the exertion and he gritted his teeth, pulling harder as the wind carried around waves. They splashed on the ship, drenching them all, making wet clothes cling to them. Emma's teeth chattered even more as the icy wind blew.

They hit a big wave and the men who were trying to tie down the mast, along with Hook, all lost their balance, falling to their feet. They all got scattered around the deck, and Emma ran for the rope without thinking about it. She grabbed it before it could get out of her reach and pulled back as hard as she could, putting all her weight into it. She managed to hold the giant sail in one place for only a few moments, before the rope started slipping out of her hands, leaving behind painful rope burns. She hissed in pain, but didn't let go, before someone ran up behind her and started to pull back as well. She didn't even need to turn around to know it was Hook.

"Hook!" she screamed, seeing the giant wave they were heading towards. It was bigger than the ship itself, and she just knew it was going to swallow them whole.

Instead of pulling on the rope, she realized he was now pulling on her waist. "Get back!" he yelled. "Let go of the mast!" he commanded clearly, his voice feeling like a piece of steel. She nodded shortly, before her fists uncurled and the rope slipped away. She stumbled back and hit his chest, as she watched the mast unravel and, under a very strong gust that had them on the ground before she knew it, start to crack.

"Oh my God," she mumbled, and just like Hook had said she would, started to pray to everything she could think off. "I need a drink," she muttered under her breath. She stumbled around as Hook made her run towards the cabins. Looking around, she realized they were the only two people left of the deck, and that Hook had already made the rest of his crew go below deck or to the cabins. Her mind almost came to a halt when she realized he only stayed to get her to safety.

They were nearing one of the cabins, and Emma almost hoped they would make it without anything going wrong, but honestly, she should have known better. A powerful wave knocked Hook of his feet and made Emma fly forward until she crashed into the railing, her ribs protesting in pain. She clenched her fists, trying to see what was happening, but her wet hair was blocking her view, making her feel disoriented. Another wave crashed into her with full force, and it pulled her back with her, taking her over the railing and into the cold water. She struggled to get to the surface, but the improvised bandage on her arm got caught in some wood, and her hair was wrapped around her neck, threatening to choke her. She kicked her feet, trying to get her head above water, but the water was too rough, throwing her around like she was a rag doll.

She hated the feeling of helplessness, and if she wasn't in the water, angry, frustrated tears would have welled up in her eyes. She was running out of oxygen and could feel her consciousness slowly slipping away. Her vision was soon clouded with spots until all she saw was darkness.

* * *

He was right. The woman was nothing but trouble. None of his men wound up overboard, only she did and they were only a few feet away from safety when the waves took her. One second she was there, the next he could only see traces of her golden mane as the waves swallowed her up. The panic in his chest was stronger than anything he'd ever felt in his life, and before he knew it, he was grabbing some rope, tying it to one of the poles of the railing and jumping after her, even though his common sense told him she was already gone. Nobody survived a storm like this if they fell into the water.

Still, he went deeper into the raging ocean, only catching a glimpse of her when a wave pulled him under. He reached for her and grabbed her hand, before pulling her to him. Then he wrapped his hooked arm around her and used the good one to pull them both to the surface using the rope. He noticed a figure leaning over the railing when they finally came up, his spirits lifting when he saw it was Smee.

"Smee!" he yelled. It took a few tries to get the pirate's attention, but when he did, Smee brought two other pirates and together, they pulled them up to the ship. Hook felt grateful he had a solid ground beneath his feet again and, with Emma still perched at his side, tried to breathe in as much as air as possible. His lungs burned and his throat ached, but none of it mattered when he directed his attention to the trouble magnet that was laid on the deck next to him.

Her lips were tainted blue, and her skin was so white it was making it seem as if she was a corpse. Hurriedly, Hook slipped one of his hands under her knees and placed the other on the small of her back, lifting her up and carrying her to his cabin, Smee following behind. He ignored the rain that was falling heavily, and focused on not tripping or slipping.

He was about to set her on his bed when his knees gave out. Sharp pain in his side came out of nowhere and with a hiss, he toppled to the ground, Emma caught by Smee in the last second.

"Help the captain!" Smee called out, shuffling around the room until he set the blonde down. Once he was sure she wasn't in an awkward or an uncomfortable position, he rushed to help Hook, pulling him up. He accidentally bumped his right hip, making him growl out in pain. Upon seeing the blood on his fingers he quickly ordered his fellow pirates to arrange the armchair and a foot stool together so that he could set him down. "You must have gotten the cut when you jumped in after her," he concluded. "Not the brightest idea, captain, especially in this weather.

"I don't need your lectures," Hook snapped. "Shut up and- what are you doing?" he asked, once he noticed he was being walked to the armchair, which was across the room from Emma.

"We need to get you to lie down, captain, or the wound could open up even more," Smee advised.

"Are you bloody out of your mind?! She might be dead for all we know. Get your hands off of me," he said, shaking him off. His knees wobbled for a second, but he steeled himself and limped over to Emma's side. Not being able to support himself any longer after crossing the room, he collapsed on the edge of the bed. He carefully moved closer, and brushed the strands of hair off her face. He checked her heart beat - it was slow, but it was there. Her breathing was ragged, coming out short and erratic.

"Swan?" he called, stupidly hoping she'd answer. "Oh, bloody hell," he said, putting his hand on her chest and pressing down a few times in a desperate attempt to get the blood and oxygen pumping through her again. "You are not dying on my ship," he told her. "You're not dying." Seconds turned to minutes and there was still no response. He was about to give up when she shot up as started to cough out water. She gasped for air and he watched as the color returned to her face.

"Finally. It took you long bloody enough," he remarked.

She blinked a few times, taking in her surroundings, before she narrowed her eyes at him. "Screw...you," she managed before her eyes slowly closed and her head fell to the side. He blinked, trying to see if she was joking with him. A few moments later she started to snore softly, proving that she has actually managed to asleep in the two seconds she was awake.

Well okay, now that she was alive all he had to do was stop his own bleeding. Wonderful.

* * *

She woke up hours later, the throbbing in her head waking her up. Emma slowly pushed herself up in a sitting position and looked around. The cabin she was in was empty and the only light in the room was the faint glow of a candle in the far corner. She blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the darkness, and then she tried to hear what was going on outside. Usually she could hear the guys yell and shout, or Hook barking out orders, but now everything was eerily quiet.

"'The hell?" she asked, rubbing her forehead to ease the pain. When her palm touched the skin she stopped, noticing how hot she was. Now that she thought about it, she was _burning up _in her whole body. Her eyes were burning, so was her skin and her lips. Her clothes felt too tight and her lungs seemed to stall, not getting enough oxygen running through her body. She coughed, and her throat burned. Emma frowned. She was sick. She was so sick it wasn't even funny.

She noticed a bucket of water next to the bed and a rag in it. Reaching into it, she felt slightly relieved when her fingers touched the water. It was ice cold. She realized someone was probably trying to take her temperature down, which, in return, made her wonder just how long was she asleep and under the fever. She reached for the rag and squeezed the excess water out, before pressing it to her forehead. She sighed, liking the way the cold towel felt against her skin.

She sat there for a few minutes, and soon the rag wasn't cold anymore, making Emma groan. Her whole body ached and she wasn't in the mood to stretch around and actually _do _something.

Hook burst through the door, stopping in his tracks when he saw her sitting up. "You're awake... and alive," he stated.

She frowned, giving him a grim look, "Barely. How long have I been out?"

"Not long, a few hours."

Seconds ticked by. "I'm sick."

"Obviously."

"Could you be any more vague?" she asked dryly, cocking an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you? Here I was, thinking we were making nice."

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, sitting on a chair that was way too far away from the bed in Emma's opinion. "You were dying, in fact, I'm just about positive you were dead at some point. Then when you came back from the dead, you told me to... go screw myself, I believe is the term. Then you fell asleep and Smee started to run around my ship, yelling how you were sick and asking for a pitch of water. I've had a lovely day, Swan, how about you?" he finished his rant with a sarcastic touch to his voice.

"I'm sorry," she said finally, after forcing the words to roll off her tongue. "I mean, it was my fault we were caught up in the storm. I was a jerk."

He nodded, "You were. Though you needn't be saying sorry to me, you're the one who almost died. You still could, by the way," he remarked.

She blanched at him, "Jeez, don't be so optimistic. I can't stand it. Besides, I'll be fine in a day or two. When did the storm pass?" she asked once she remembered she's been dying to know.

"Oh, about a minute after we managed to get away from it and get you inside. Storms here are mostly like that - they are over in a matter of minutes, the worst part is waiting for it to pass. And then the sky is blue and crystal clear, and the gods are mocking you. You were also bloody fortunate, let me tell you, you escaped certain death." His face turned dark, and Emma tried to squash the feeling rising in her chest.

"Again, I'm sorry, for almost getting us both killed. I was pretty damn stubborn and it almost cost us both our heads."

He nodded, "You are right. So let's pull a lesson out of this, shall we? Next time something like this happens, could you just shut up and listen to what I tell you?" he asked, boring his eyes into hers.

"Got it." A second later, Emma could swear she heard someone yell "fresh fish," but couldn't be sure. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to strain herself to hear more carefully. She shook her head quickly when she couldn't hear anything. She was probably imagining things, because a few minutes before she couldn't hear anything. The fever was finally getting to her, screwing with her head.

Hook observed her and quirked an eyebrow when she looked up and around, before quickly ducking her head and shaking her head. He heard the woman yell about fresh fish too, so he had a good assumption about what was going through her head. "You're not crazy," he told her, feeling entertained by her confusion, "there are people out there, just in case you were wondering."

Emma looked at him, before listening around again. She could clearly hear people shouting outside, people who had no place being on Jolly Roger. "You're right. Oh God, where are we?"

"We docked in a town a short while after the storm passed. The place is bloody brilliant too, I'm quite sure you'll like it."

"What's so special about it?" Emma asked, his enthusiasm infecting her. She noticed the way he seemed to light up at her question.

"The town is hidden and cut off from the rest of the kingdom by a large forest anyone can easily get lost in. The town itself is both interesting and dangerous - magical. If there is any place where anything is possible, it's here."

"Really?" she asked, slightly buzzing, before another thing came at her like a brick, making her heart skip a beat. "Wait, you're doing this... why? To get me home? To send me back?" she asked, ignoring the feeling of dejection that spread through her chest. She couldn't help but feel like he was a bit too eager to get her home, to send her away and get rid of her. Well, screw him.

"Isn't that what you want?"

"Well... I guess it is," she said slowly.

"You don't seem as happy as you should be," he remarked.

Emma shook her head to convince him she was feeling better than she really was. "No, it's just... It feels strange that something so complicated could be resolved so easily. I just though that getting home wouldn't be so simple."

"It's not as simple as you think," he added, "because I still don't have a bloody clue where to start searching for someone who could help you. I don't even know _how _to get you back."

"Yeah... about that..." Emma drawled out, thinking it was as good as time as any to share with him what Tinkerbell told her, "I think I have a pretty good idea."

"Oh? Care to share?"

"Tin- this fairy told me something. She said the only way for me to get back is to either go through another portal or..."

"Or?" he inquired. She bit the inside of her cheek, anxiously trying to dig her way out. She thought she would be able to tell him about the whole 'true love' thing, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Besides, he didn't have any part in her finding her true love and the less he knew the better. She didn't want to give him any ideas and she definitely wasn't ready to acknowledge the ones forming in her head. Those were the dark corners of her mind she wasn't ready to go to yet.

She shook her head, "Nothing. My bad. The fever is making me all woozy. I'm not thinking straight."

He stared at her for a second, and she thought he would call her out, but he just shook his head and seemed to let it slide. "Can't say I blame you. Before you woke up you were as hot as an iron bar left on the summer sun. Anyway, at least now we have a starting point in out search."

"We do? And what is it?"

"We look for someone who knows how to open a magic time portal. It shouldn't be so hard in this town. You would be surprised to know the strange things people could do."

Emma listened silently as he talked about the town, its people and the powers they possessed. According to him, there were people who could turn water into ice, those who could create fire and cyclones, and those who were so powerful that they could bring back the dead and make people fall hopelessly in love with each other. Emma tried not to scowl at the last one, knowing that that kind of love was something she would never want. It was fake and make belief - what Emma really wanted was the kind of love Mary Margaret and David had. The kind that made the hottest fires seem bleak in comparison.

Speaking of David...

Gasping, Emma shot out of her seat, before her knees gave out and she fell back on the bed. Hook was looking at her intently, and she could see he was fighting hard not to walk to her side.

"What?" he asked, his voice coming out rushed.

"Holy crap," Emma whispered. "I'm so stupid, I can't believe I haven't thought of this before."

* * *

**So many tests, so little time. I swear I haven't gotten my nose out of books for the past week... I feel so tired it's not even funny to me anymore. God, I can't wait for winter holidays. On the last day of school, I'll be raving like a moron... Sigh.**

**Sorry for the wait, but I hope you liked the chapter =) Let my poor soul know what you thought of it by leaving me a review and making my sad, little, school-concentrated life better.**


	10. Time Flies

Mary Margaret collapsed on a boulder near her, trying to stop her vision from swimming. The horrible feeling in her stomach was slowly passing, and she couldn't help but shiver every time she thought back to the way her whole being seemed to scream, trying to tell her Emma was in danger. She would probably never get used to her motherly instincts, having been separated from her daughter, but she was glad they were there.

Explaining what was happening to David and Hook was a bit harder. Men as they were, they kept shooting her strange looks, annoying the life out of her. She wanted to scream and tell them they should do something, but the rational side of her told her there wouldn't be much use in that. Emma was nowhere near and there was nothing she could do - it killed her.

"Are you okay?" David asked, crouching down to her level.

She nodded slowly, trying to clear her head and stop the pounding in it. "I'm fine. Better, at least."

He rubbed her palm, offering her comfort that she always seemed to get lost so easily in. "Are you sure?" his voice was anxious, and even though she could see he was trying to stay cool and collected, she also saw the pain and expectancy in his eyes, him waiting for her to share her fears.

Hook picked up on their little moment and cleared his throat, obviously wanting to give them their space. "Not that I wish to spoil..." he motioned at them, "...this, but you should know that she's okay."

"She is?" Mary Margaret asked, feeling more than a little grateful that at least she could trust in him to tell them if she was alive or not. "What happened?"

He closed his eyes, as if he was trying to remember a distant memory, which, in a way, he was. "A storm hit," he said finally, his voice heavy, "Emma went overboard, into the ocean." Mary Margaret gripped David's hand tighter, fighting a gasp. "But she's well now. She has a fever, but she's alive. We've... they've docked in a town not far from your kingdom," he spoke, keeping some of the details from them. He had no desire to get punched by David again, and he for sure would if he told him he hadn't taken care of his daughter and almost let her die.

He hated himself for that too, so he couldn't even imagine what they would feel.

"Anything else?" David asked, burning holes through him with his fierce stare.

"She... she had an idea," he says. "It's about you."

David's eyebrows shot up, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times before speaking. "Me? What about me? What is she thinking of doing?"

Hook shook his head, "I... I don't know. I can't remember that yet."

"Great," David grumbled. "Just perfect."

* * *

"Swan?" Hook deadpanned, "What are you talking about?"

He tried to get her attention, to listen to him, but Emma was already buzzing. She was nowhere near calm and her attention span was the size of an acorn. The idea that popped into her head, the _hope _it brought with it - it was making her mind fuzzy and made her forget she was sick.

"David," she kept repeating, her eyes darting around aimlessly, as if she was thinking so hard it was impossible for her to focus on just one thing. It was a bit scary, actually. She looked like she was possessed.

Eventually, he got tired of watching her and waiting for her to calm down. He grabbed her shoulder and shook her, albeit a little roughly, trying to make her look at him. "Will you bloody well _calm down _and _focus_? What. are. you. talking. about?" he asked once again, stressing every word, feeling like he was talking to a child.

Emma rolled her eyes, not liking the fact he was talking to her like she was mentally challenged. "You're an ass," she snapped, shrugging his hand off.

He ignored her, going for the kill. "What about David?" he didn't really care, but he needed a distraction with everything that has been going on in his life, and this woman was obviously the perfect source of it. She had a way of driving him so crazy he would forget his name, and just want to throw her to the sharks. She also had a way of being more charming than any other woman he has met in his life, throwing him off the path of his carefully thought out revenge - the only seeming line that seemed to hold his head over water.

"Hook!" Emma raised her voice, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You kind of wandered off there. Anyway, I was saying that, you know my kid's been kidnapped, right?" He nodded silently. "Yeah, well, me, my parents, Ru- Mr. Gold and Henry's adoptive mother went to look for him, and we wound up in Neverland, where David got shot by an arrow poisoned by dreamshade. He managed to get the cure," _because of you_, she wanted to add, "but now he's forced to stay on that island from the ninth circle of hell."_  
_

"He can't leave?" the whole thing seemed fairly straightforward, but he couldn't understand the reasons behind Emma's decision to share the story with him.

"Not right now. But I'm going to change that."

Well this just got interesting. "Are you now?"

"Yes. Do you know about anyone who might be able to know about stuff like that?" she asked, her eyes wide, hopeful and just a little glazed over from the lack of sleep.

Of course he knew, but he didn't think it was a good idea to tell her that, at least not yet. "I can't say I fancy your idea. You're going to get yourself killed, and me with you, probably."

"Aren't you all up for dying?" she snapped. A moment later she seemed to register her own words, and she drew back, cursing under her chin. "Sorry," she mumbled, even though she could clearly see the indifferent look on his face. He couldn't say her words bothered or got to him, but the man he buried long time ago told him he was just lying to himself. "Look, if you know somebody who could help me, you have to tell me, because... I can't leave him there," she admitted, her voice breaking on the last word against her will. "The island they are stuck at... they won't be able to find a cure for him there, and this may be my only chance to save him."

He gave her a weary look, while she did her best not to look at him. He tried to remember what was the name of a powerful witch which resided outside the town, while Emma was having a silent panic attack. She had finally voiced the fears she'd had since she found out David couldn't leave Neverland. Never in her life did she feel like her feet got cut off, except in that moment. She didn't know just how much she was scared of leaving David behind until she said the words out loud.

Hook could see the emotions flying across her face, and fought to keep a growl at bay. Revenge. That was it. That was all he wanted. Revenge on the man who took away his love. Who ripped her heart out and crushed it with his hands, leaving only a pile of dust behind. He wanted to dig his hook in that monster's heart and twist it around a little, just for fun. He wanted to see pain flash across his face and life leave his eyes.

But... her.

She had him fixated with a look he didn't think _anyone _in all the realms could say no to. "Oh, come on!" she yelled after a few moments of intense stare-down. "Don't you have someone who's gone but you wish you could've saved?" she asked, and her words are, for the first time in weeks, a needle that seems to go straight at his heart, causing pain to erupt in the pit of his stomach.

He turned away, trying to get the image of his brother dying out of his head.

He sighed, a sound telling Emma he's resigned to his fate, whatever it may be. "Fine. I know someone. Maybe she can help us."

* * *

"I want to go!" she yelled, fighting him and Smee to get off the bed. She was so damn tired of lying and "resting", that all she really wanted to do is run a couple of laps around the town. Or hell, the deck.

"You're bloody sick and you still have the fever!" Hook argued, resenting the fact she was acting slightly suicidal and enormously stupid. He growled at her when she made another attempt at swatting Smee's arms away, trying to get her body off the mattress, even though he could see her take a small pause now and then to fight the dizziness away. She was so stubborn he just wanted to tape her mouth shut and tie her up.

He didn't know why he actually bothered to care about what happened to her. He still felt the hate and absolute desperation coursing through him whenever he closed his eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to send the Swan girl away and tear the ship apart, but something inside stopped him. He even surprised himself when he woke up one morning after seven hours of dreamless sleep and didn't reach for his flask, which was perched up right next to his bed.

"Fine," he said, "You want to go? Let her," he commanded Smee. The man nodded and released his hold on Emma, stepping away. "There's the door, go. But when you get hypothermia and your lungs start to come out on your mouth, you are not allowed to board this ship again." With a tone of finality, he turned on his heel and motioned for Smee to follow him as he left the cabin. It's needless to say she was still there hours later when Smee went to bring her dinner.

So Emma stayed on the ship until her fever finally wore off, which took a lot of time and even more nerves. Time seemed to mock her and pass painfully slowly, leaving her with nothing else to do but read the books Smee seemed to constantly fish out of somewhere. Though most of the stories were about (or had in them) stubborn women, making Emma think it was actually Hook sending her the books, trying to tell her she was being a pain in the ass.

She impatiently rammed her fists on the door of Hook's cabin a couple of days later. She could feel all the pent up energy coursing through her, and she just wanted to spend it. She tapped her foot furiously on the floorboards as she waited for him to open the door.

When he appeared in front of her, with a weary look on his face, she could tell he knew it was her on the other side of the door. He rolled his eyes at her fist, which was still in the air from the knocking. "Swan," he said, drawling out her name, "what a surprise."

She pushed past him, not even bothering to be polite and keep her distance anymore. While she was sick and under quarantine, Emma found herself thinking. She realized she was stuck in this time for far too long than she thought and she knew she had to change that. Getting Hook out of his depression was her first step.

Of course, she was only telling herself she was doing it so she'd get back to Neverland. It was partly because of it, of course, but it was also because she could hear him at night, going around the ship drunk out of his mind, once again calling _her_ name and smashing everything in his way. Those times both scared the living crap out of her and made her just a little more determined to get this whole thing sorted out. She had to do it, for her sake and the sake of everyone else she cared about.

"Let's go," she commanded as she handed him his sword, his flask and a map of what she hoped was the realm they were in. "Out you go."

He didn't even blink, he just watched her as she walked around his cabin, handing him everything he never left his ship without. "I should throw you in chains again," he mentioned thoughtfully, as she started to push him out the door. "You're taking too much freedom."

"Yeah well, I figured manhandling you was the only way to get your head out of your ass. I want to see my kid again, Hook, and without you, I doubt that will happen. So shut your trap and keep walking."

He was letting her push him towards the plank that connected the ship to the pier, but at the slightly desperate tone in her voice, he pulled to a halt, making her run into his back, after which she staggered back. "What the hell?" she mumbled, rubbing her nose.

"Where are you pushing me?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Isn't it obvious? To see that woman you told me about. The one who can send me back."

He caught the hem of her shirt with his hook and pulled her back when she moved to pass by him. "That," he started, "is a two days travel, and I'm not about to jump into certain death the forest provides by going unprepared."

She shrugged, letting out an exasperated breath, "Fine. Then I'll go by myself. Just draw me an 'x' on that map of yours to mark the spot." She chuckled at her own jab at the pirate, but his face stayed the same, he didn't understand most her "jokes" anyway.

"It's too dangerous," he said seriously as he watched the smile fall of her face and get replaced by a sober expression. "Many perils are found in that dark forest, and whoever dares to go alone does not come back to tell the story of their adventures. There is a reason why this town was never impaired in the Ogre wars - the forest swallows up each and every one of them that tries to find their way to the town. It's a bloody nightmare. As you once called the island your family is stranded on - it's a forest from the ninth circle of hell."

"And this woman lives there?" Emma muttered. A few moments later she sighed, letting her head drop. "Then when do we leave?" she asked finally, looking up to meet his eye.

"Granted, I never said I would take you. I just said I knew somebody who _might _be able to help you, but I mentioned nothing of actually paying her a visit. That would be too deadly of a mission."

Emma looked like she was punched in the gut. Her eyes were wide in disbelief, and she could hardly breathe, not believing the words that were coming out of his mouth. This whole time, she's had hopes for something that was never going to happen? The anger boiling in the pit of her stomach was almost impossible to suppress.

She blinked. Well, that right hook came out of nowhere.

He stumbled back, surprised by the force of the blow and the blow itself. His eyes widened as his good hand grasped his face, his shocked face mirroring hers, only for a second.

"What the hell?" he growled, his eyes turning dark with rage.

"Yeah," Emma shouted back, oblivious to the attention they were attracting, from both the crew and the people who walked on the dock, "that's what it feels like - like someone punched you in the face. You don't understand, do you?" she asked, her voice faltering a bit, "What it feels like, to know he's out there, alone and with no one to find him. He'll never forgive me if I don't come back for him, and I can't have that," she said, shaking her head. "Henry's everything to me. And if you're not going to help me get back to him, then I'll find my own damn way, because that's what a mother does. But, I wouldn't expect you to know what that means, giving up everything for someone you love - you're just a pirate," she spat out, not being able to stop herself.

He didn't even flinch at her words, but she did see the way the anger in his eyes cracked, making way for something similar to _pain _to break through.

He was silent for a long time, and she was holding her breath, waiting for him to say something. Now that the words hung in the air between them, time seemed to have slowed down, making her want to kick herself for being so stupid.

His voice came out hard, raspy, "We leave tomorrow morning, at dawn."

* * *

Hook knew something was off. His mind was full of new memories, which seemed to clash with the old ones. But it was different than before. There was more and more of them, and it was like they wanted to flood his mind, make him incapable of doing anything else but cradle his head between his knees.

Time there was different. He knew that now.

Days were passing much more faster in the past, and he didn't know how _or _why. All he wanted were answers, but he couldn't get them from the two people walking in front of him, talking in hushed voices. Hook didn't get the idea they were trying to hide something from him on purpose, but he felt like listening in would be much like eavesdropping, so he let them stay in their private little bubble.

David glanced back at him, and frowned when he saw the look on his face. "Everything alright?" he asked, his hand reaching for his sword just in case something was a miss.

Hook shook his head, clearing his thoughts, "No, I was just..." he trailed off, looking for the best way to voice his thoughts without giving them a couple of heart attacks. "Is it possible for time to pass differently?"

"Why?" Mary Margaret asked slowly, as they all fell into step. They were fairly close to Pan's hideout by now, and they all seemed to be more than eager to find it and get the thing done. They were sleep-deprived, dirty and hungry, their spirits low and their hearts lower. It was a bad condition for a war, but they had no other choice.

"Because... I seem to remember much... more, than I should," he admitted, seeing the look the that crossed the king's face, making his hand itch to protect his face. "Emma has only been gone for three days, but in my mind she has spend more than a week in the past. I could be wrong, though, everything is so bloody confusing," he said, making his point by rubbing the spot on his forehead that painfully throbbed.

"Is she okay?"

"She could be better," he said shortly, before picking up his pace, hoping to put some distance between himself and Mary Margaret and David. Not mentioning anything about Emma's ridiculous idea about visiting Iridia in order to find a way to save David, and his even more ridiculous agreement to taking her was making his head hurt.

Chugging down some rum, he waited as the pleasant burn left his throat, before finally allowing himself to hope that Emma knew what she was doing.

God, he hopes she knew what she was doing.

* * *

Strapping on her sword, Emma took a deep breath. Well, things sure took an interesting turn. A few days ago all she wanted was to go home. Now, she was in the past, in the Enchanted forest, about to go on a trip that was bound to lead her to a woman that could be the solution to all her problems.

"Are you sure about this, captain?" She heard Smee ask Hook, as he scattered behind him like he'd been doing that entire morning. "Going all by yourself, it's a terrible risk. The forest is very dangerous, perhaps you should reconsider taking someone along."

"I shall not bring anyone to this death quest with me," he answered with a cold voice, making Emma's stomach drop. He's been giving her the cold shoulder, more like an iceberg, ever since she snapped at him, and even through she hated to admit it, it made her feel incredibly guilty.

The cabin she now claimed as hers was about as small as it could get, a punishment obviously intended for her, because she knew there were bigger cabins on Jolly Roger. Still, it was starting to feel familiar, with all the books lying around, and the knives she got from the pirates all tucked away. She grabbed one hunting knife from under her bed and tucked it in the waistband of her pants.

The sun was rising, and she stood in the middle of the room, waiting for him to barge in, telling her they're leaving. She figured she would be ready, both mentally and physically, by the time he got there, but she wasn't. Her stomach tied itself up in knots and she could _feel _the sweat stains form on her shirt.

"We're leaving," he said simply, barely sparing her a glance before he disappeared again, as if he didn't stand in her doorway a second ago.

"Alright," she breathed, "here we go. Man up, Swan."

* * *

**I've come down to crying at least once a day and chugging down liters of coffee. High school is destroying me. Slowly but surely. Also I'm pretty sure I just failed a math test. Crap.**

**Well, I'm sorry for the wait, but as you all probably know (and you do, I've read the reviews) school is being a horribly big pain in my ass right now and I barely have time to eat and sleep, let alone write. You know it's bad when I haven't even watched the last two episodes of OUAT, simply because I don't have the time.**

**Are the episodes good? Amazing? **

**Of course they are, but how would I know? Sigh.**

**Leave me a review if you liked the chapter, and tell me if any of you are struggling in the same way I am. It would make me feel a teensy-tiny bit better. **

**I love you all, thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews, they warm my heart every time =)**


	11. The Poison Inside Of Him

Fifteen minutes.

They were walking for fifteen minutes on relatively even ground and Emma was already fighting for breath. Cursing under her breath, she stumbled after Hook, who, apparently, had no intention of speaking to her. He just kept walking in front of her, eyes set on one spot ahead, as his feet carried him with long, forceful strides. She knew what he was doing. He had to know she was still kind of weak and fatigue from her fever, yet he kept his fast pace, as if he was punishing, or at least mocking her.

Half an hour later, she couldn't take it anymore. Her lungs and throat were burning, making her eyes water slightly. She swallowed something that felt awfully like pride, and stopped dead in her tracks. He passed twenty or so feet before he realized he couldn't hear her steps behind him, and pulled to a stop himself. Emma waited for him to turn around or say something, but he stayed silent and she kept staring at his back, making her see he was being a stubborn pain in her ass.

She licked her lips, which suddenly felt very, very dry. "I'm sorry," she said, barely managing to push the words out, "for what I said."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, his voice even.

She snorted in a very unladylike like way as a laugh bubbled from her lips. "Right, and I'm a ballerina," she said, rolling her eyes. "Cut the crap. I'm trying to be a decent person here, can't you make it a little easier on me?" she asked. No answer. Emma nodded, "Guess you can't. You're gonna make me work for this, are you?"

"That was the plan," came his reply, making Emma's lips twitch.

"What do you want me to say? I was angry, I thought you weren't going to help me find this woman. I'm sorry, okay? There's nothing more I can give you but that."

He finally turned to face her, his eyes seemingly glowing for the first time since Emma landed on that deck. It was a glow she used to frequently see in Neverland, when he would talk about something he was fond of, tease anyone in their rescue team, or make innuendos at Emma. At first she found it annoying, but as time passed, she actually grew fond of the damn sparkle, since it always meant things weren't as dark and lost as they seemed. And the fact she was seeing it again was only making Emma hope, which was a bad thing, since her hopes usually got crushed into dust.

"You could crawl a little," he pointed out.

Emma was quick to fire back, her mind working on its own because of this very familiar way of bickering with him. "I could throw a rock at you, too. How 'bout that?"

He shook his head, "Not as good as crawling, no."

She caught up to him, fighting a smirk that threatened to appear on her face, as he started to walk, this time, in a slower pace. Silence settled between them as they made their way through the town, heading for the forest. He wasn't exactly chatting with her, but at least he stopped being a bitch. She would have to make the best of that.

Emma wasn't a pushy, nosy person, but at that moment, as they were leaving the guarded town behind, she found herself wanting to press on the subject of Milah's death a lot more than she ever did before. Emma couldn't help herself, the woman was dead but still heavily involved in her life, which sometimes bothered her a little. Back in Neverland, she didn't dare ask Hook about her, she found it weird, but maybe now was as good as time as any. There was nothing she could lose anyway, since she doubted he'd leave her in the middle of nowhere.

"Hey Hook?"

He didn't say anything, but his jaw ticked, which Emma took as a sign to continue. "Why don't we play a little game?" she couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth, but she doubted he'd answer any of her questions any other way.

"What?" he asked, his voice slightly disbelieving. He gave her a sideways look, and she clutched her fists at her sides, fighting to keep her resolve up.

"Oh, come on. You a coward?" she teased, cocking an eyebrow.

"I do not care for games, Swan."

She recognized her own grouchy behavior in him, and frowned. Was she this hard to get along with as well? If she was, she'd have to do something about that, because he was seriously getting on her nerves with his attitude. How in the hell was she supposed to get through to him, when she felt like she was going against a brick wall with a toothpick?

"I'm not talking about hide and seek, it's something more... tame. How about twenty questions?"

"No," he said before she even got to finish her sentence. "No questions."

"Wow captain, you sure have a lot to hide," she remarked, knowing she'd have to resort to low blows if she wanted to get some information.

He stopped, and she ran into his back while not paying attention. Letting out an 'mmph', she rubbed her nose. "A warning next time, maybe?"

He ignored her, spinning around to face her. "I know what you're doing," he stated, his lips stretching in a smirk. "You're resorting to the same kind of manipulation I find very dear, but love, it doesn't work on me. I admire the effort, though. Good form you have there."

His words startled her, and she started at him, her stand only steeling as seconds ticked by. "Twenty questions, Hook. Not the end of the world."

"Five."

"Fifteen." She couldn't believe she had to bargain with him.

"Ten."

"Fifteen," she pressed on, fully knowing ten was enough, but it was fun making him squirm.

"Eleven."

"Twelve."

"Oh, come on now, are we really going to haggle over a petty question?"

_"Twelve," _she repeated through gritted teeth. The fun was over, she just wanted to get down to business.

"Fine, but I get twelve questions as well."

_Damn it._ That option wasn't supposed to cross his mind. She bit the inside of her cheek, mulling it through in her head. What would he ask her anyway? She told him the most vital parts of her story - she told him about Henry, her parents and the curse. The end. There was nothing more about Emma Swan anyone would want to know, at least that was what she thought.

"Deal," she said finally.

"I get to go first."

"What? Why?"

"This was your ridiculous idea, that's why. You get to pay the price first," he said. "Now start walking, or we'll run out of daylight before we even make it a third of the way," he motioned for her to follow him, and she sighed, eyeing her sword. Maybe she could press it against his back and force him to stop, let her rest her feet for a bit.

It took him twenty minutes before he spoke. "My first question is, have me met before?" he asked, completely throwing Emma off. Her voice hitched in her throat, and for a horrible second she though he might actually be on to something, before she quickly dismissed the idea. There was no way he could know, was there?

"Of course we haven't-"

"Do not take me for a fool," he cut in, "I am not talking about the present time. The things you say, the way you would look at me sometimes, it is as if you know me a lot better than you're letting on. So I repeat my question, do we know each other in a time where you come from?"

Nobody said she had to tell the truth.

"No, we-" she started, about to lie her tongue off, but the look in his eyes made the words die on her lips. The single syllable, _no_, made something crack in there. She sighed, feeling the weight of the truth press on her chest. "Yeah, we've met before," she admitted. "By a string of really crazy events, we wound up... running into each other in the Enchanted forest after I fell through a magic hat that took me there." She decided it would be best to leave the whole 'beanstalk, compass, her punching him out cold' thing out. He didn't need to know that.

"You fall through a lot of portals, don't you?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Buddy, you have no idea."

"But that's..." he took a deep breath, "three hundred years in the future. How did I-"

"No, don't ask me that. If I tell you, you might do something crazy and end up changing things. I can't risk anything going differently, because many lives are at stake," her voice rang with finality, and she stood her ground, not leaving any place to argue. He didn't say anything and she took it as a sign that he would let go of the subject. "Okay, my turn. Why did you let me stay on your ship?"

"If my memory serves me, and it does, you insisted."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh please. Like you couldn't throw me overboard if you wanted to."

"You're right, I could. Bloody shame I didn't."

Emma gave him a weary look, before punching him in the shoulder. "What was that for?" he asked, shooting daggers at her while he rubbed his shoulder.

"You're dodging the question."

"Fine. Smee made a point that you would be a good source of... entertainment for my crew."

It was her turn to stop. "Oh my God," her eyes widened when she realized the meaning behind his words. "If we make it out of this forest alive, I'm going to kill him," she stated, "Shoot him. Stab him. Fire him out of a damn cannon!"

"You can stop spitting fire, Swan, it's obvious nobody tried to make advances at you."

"That's not the point! You let me stay because you thought I would... Oh my God," she repeated. "Forget Smee, I'm gonna kill _you_."

He raised his hands in defense, a grin spilling over his face. "It was an honest mistake, love. Had I known you were such a wild, stubborn, strenuous thing I would have thrown you off my ship, I give you my word."

"You are not helping your case," she muttered darkly, fighting the urge to harm him. Then a thought occurred to her and she forgot about everything else. "But, why would you want "entertainment"? Aren't you still pinning after Mil..." her jaw dropped at her own words. "That came out wrong," she tried to fix the situation, but he was already saying, "How do you know that?"

She swallowed, averting her eyes. "You have pretty bad nightmares. I can hear you at night." His shoulders tensed, and she wished she had something to say that would make him feel better. She knew what it felt like to feel exposed when someone knew your secrets. "I don't blame you," she quickly added. "I mean, I've had a lot of bad ones myself."

"About what?" he asked so quietly, that Emma wondered if he said anything at all.

It took her a few minutes to answer, and she wondered where to start. Taking a deep breath, she said, "When I was little, they were usually about my... foster parents. Some were pretty bad ones. They'd... scream at me and hit me, sometimes leave me hungry for days. Others were about my real parents. I didn't know who they were and I'd dream of faceless people who would leave me next to that road, and laughter would just... echo as they did. And then when the guy I loved left me to rot in jail, I dreamed about my kid and having to leave him. Now... my nightmares are about Henry staying or dying on that island."

"That's a great burden to bear Emma," he said, and she realized it was the first time she'd heard him use her name. Not Swan, love or any other nickname he came up with, but her real name. She'd count that as a small victory.

She shrugged, "I don't have anyone to carry it with me, so I manage."

"She died in my arms," he said, making it sound like a confession, "but you probably know that."

"Doesn't matter. I'm still sorry. But all that pent up rage thing you have going on... it's not going to make it any easier. Trust me, I know. I was so angry at my parents that I refused to believe they were real even when I had a guy show me his leg that turned into wood. Couldn't see a damn thing. I was so mad that they were, of all people, a prince and a princess. It would have been much easier to be left by people who were so poor they couldn't raise me, than by people who lived in a _castle. _But I was wrong - they were giving me my best shot when they put me in that wardrobe. My point is," she looked at him and found he was already looking back at her, "all that anger? It's poison. Letting it go would make you feel a lot better."

"The only thing that could make me feel better is getting my revenge on the Crocodile," he said, persistent.

"We both know that's a load of crap."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, wishing there was a way to just flip a switch inside of him, to make him see the faults in his way of thinking. But she was going out of her way for something that shouldn't, _couldn't_, happen. He had to look for revenge because that was the only way he'd come across Cora and end up entwined in their lives. So she bit her tongue and stopped the words from getting out, knowing she has already gone too far in the danger zone.

She distracted herself from speaking up by looking around, taking in their surroundings. They were already deep in the woods, and wherever she turned all she saw were trees and scary looking shadows. Emma wasn't scared easily, but the forest made her skin crawl. Hoping she looked nonchalant, she took a step towards Hook, surprising herself when his proximity actually made her feel better.

"So why does this woman live so deep in the forest anyway? Not the most social type, I'm guessing."

"On the contrary. She loves having guests, that is, if she doesn't kill them by the time they're to leave her home."

Oh. That was comforting.

"Why would she kill them?"

"Iridia has a way of seeing into people and their hearts. If a person with a dark, rotten heart asks her for something, she doesn't take it well. She only grants wishes of those who deserve it. That's why when we get to her home, I shall gladly stay outside while you go and sort out your affairs. I have no desire to be skinned alive by that witch."

"Great. That means I'm the one who's going to get skinned. You couldn't have told me this before?"

"Swan, I highly doubt you have sins greater than mine darkening you heart," he drawled. "Still, if she does reach for a knife, I would recommend jumping out a window."

"Any other things I should know about before stepping into her house from hell?" she asked, not even trying to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

"Well, she has episodes where she can read minds, so I'd recommend you think nice things, or count."

Emma felt like she had something lodged in her throat. "She can... read minds? What is it with this woman?"

"Oh, her father was the Dark one in the past, which is who she got the powers from. Obviously took on the wrong side of her family tree. A long time ago she was the single greatest possession in the first Ogre wars, and people fought just to get her on their sides. She sometimes turned on them if she didn't like the way they fought, but nobody's perfect." He paused, his voice taking on a more admiring tone, "The woman's a dragon."

"You don't have to insult her," Emma grumbled.

"No, she really turns into a dragon. Spews fire and everything. I don't suppose you know how to handle a dragon, do you?"

She cocked an eyebrow, slightly annoyed that he so easily thought she couldn't do something, even if it was killing a dragon. And to think that only a few weeks ago in Neverland he was telling her he believed in her, that he knew she'd never fail him. "For your information, you jackass, I managed to kill a dragon, all on my own," she couldn't help but feel smug.

"You did?" his eyebrows shot up, and the surprise in his voice only made Emma roll her eyes.

She nodded, "Yeah, so suck on that."

"I admit, that is quite impressive. And just how in the world did you manage that without getting burned to a crisp or eaten?"

She was stupid enough not to watch where she was going as she trailed behind him, completely caught up in him and his words. Stumbling as her foot caught on a tree root, she reached for anything that would help her keep her balance and ended up grabbing onto Hook's coat, yanking him back. He protested as he went stumbling backwards.

"Swan, I know my exceptionally good looks tend to distract people, but you should really watch your step. If you think the worst thing in this forest is a tree root, you most definitely won't make it out alive," though his words were almost teasing, his tone was sharp, warning even. Emma tried to put out the little flicker of hope inside of her, that seemed to light up at his words. Maybe she could pull this off. Signs of the man waiting for her in Neverland were showing more and more often, each time lifting Emma up higher.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. What were you saying?"

"I asked you how you managed to kill a dragon without getting yourself killed in the process as well. Watch your step," he commanded, jumping over a small patch of wet, hollow ground he'd undoubtedly sink in.

Emma didn't hear him as she tried to get the dirt of her pants. "Right. Well when Henry ate this poisoned apple thing and fell under a sleeping curse, I had to find a true love potion which was guarded by a dragon. Funny thing about that, it was actually another witch being kept captive by Henry's adoptive mother who made her stay a dragon. The story ends with me throwing a sword and nailing it in the neck."

"Did you rescue your son?"

A gentle smile spilled over her lips at the memory, "Yeah, I did. Turns out it was a true love's kiss. I broke the whole curse."

"You care a great deal for him," he said, not as a question, but as a statement.

"Of course I do. I'd do anything for him, even face that dragon-witch woman, if it will get me back to him. It's why I'm putting up with you," she added for a good measure. Hook shot her a dark look under his lashes, before his eyes settled on something at her feet and his face sobered up.

Emma narrowed her eyes at him, wondering what the hell was he up to. "What?"

"You need so stay very calm," he said slowly, reaching out to her.

In Emma's mind, he couldn't have picked worse words than those. She immediately went into panic-mode, adrenaline shooting through her. "What? Why?" her words came out rushed.

"You are standing on hollow ground, and right now, you're sinking."

* * *

Mary Margaret, David and Hook all seemed to let out a sigh of relief as they broke out on a small clearing. Their relief was short-lived and soon their faces fell as their eyes darted around the clearing.

Mary Margaret was the first one to speak, her voice slightly trembling as she did, "I... I don't understand. You said it'd be here," she said, directing her words at Hook, who seemed just as pained as the royals as he desperately searched for Pan's hideout. He was completely sure it was there, so sure he'd put his only good fist in fire.

"It's here," he said, "it's just... hidden. By magic, I'm guessing."

"Well how are we supposed to find it? Go around and hope we'll run into it?" David asked sarcastically, making Hook roll his eyes.

"At least now we know who Emma got her... charming personality from," Hook smirked, chuckling at his own joke.

"Don't test me, pirate."

"Why don't we focus that energy of yours on finding Pan's cave, then you can threaten me all you want," he proposed, fighting to keep a smug grin at bay. He was denying it before, but it became impossible by now. Messing with Charming was proving to be too entertaining and Hook rarely missed his window of opportunity to have a go at him. Even asDavid shot daggers at him and probably stabbed him several times in his mind, Hook still felt like he was having fun.

David smirked at him, sheathing his sword. "Don't act like you don't _love _her... charming personality." The stricken look on Hook's face told the prince everything he needed to know. "I thought so," he hummed as he passed him, searching for anything that might indicate where the hideout was located.

Hook opened his mouth to fight back, but Mary Margaret was quick to jump in, not wanting their little squabble to turn into a full-blown fight, fists included. "Don't!" she barked, making his snap his mouth shut, a disgruntled look settling on his face. Mary Margaret sighed as she watched the two men, "We don't have time for this. Can you two stop acting like children?"

"He started it."

David's head snapped up, "Oh, real mature."

Mary Margaret rubbed her forehead, fighting a headache she could feel coming. "Enough! Just... start looking. The sooner we find Pan's shelter, the better."

"She's right," David admitted, avoiding his wife's eyes. He knew she'd give him that disapproving look and he wasn't very fond of the idea.

After what felt like eternity, when it had only been a few hours, Mary Margaret felt her batteries not only empty out, but die. She sat on a patch of grass, her knees giving out. Angry tears burned her eyes as her shoulder throbbed painfully, but she ignored it, focusing on a single spot ahead of her. She picked up a small pebble of the ground and threw it across the clearing, doing anything to distract herself from the dark, hurtful thoughts that tormented her.

Hook saw her and turned to David, who was also watching the actions of his true love.

"You're not going to... do anything?" he inquired, cocking an eyebrow.

David shook his head, a tortured look making its way across his features as well. "No. She's missing Emma and she's angry because she can't do anything to bring her back. There's nothing I can do to ease that pain."

"Not to mention she's angry with you as well, seeing as there is still no way to get you out of Neverland." Well, Hook knew Emma had an idea, but he wasn't ready to share that just yet. In a way, he didn't want to give them false hopes if the plan didn't pan out. There was a number of things that could go wrong, especially because it was a witch with anger-management issues they were dealing with.

"Wow, thanks."

Hook shrugged, "Just being honest, mate."

They looked around in silence for a few minutes more, before Mary Margaret's cry startled them, snapping them out of their thoughts. They whipped around, their hands already reaching for their swords, only to find Snow with her hands pressed up against air.

"I found it!"

* * *

**Phew, finally wrote the chapter! I've been writing fragments throughout the week, so this chapter's a little bit longer.**

**Thank you all so much for your nice wishes and thoughts, they warm my heart up and ease the troubles. I'm counting down the days until school's over and then I swear I'll update more often. Pirate's honest. Oh, and I got a C- in my math test, so I guess that's not as horrible as I thought it would be. Still... Someone asked me what level I'm taking - it's AP math. My life = hell.**

**I still have four more finals and then I'm done with everything. Hallelujah!**

**Once again, I want to thank you for all the wonderful reviews. Keep them coming =D**

**P.S. Oh, oh! I still haven't watched the newest episodes of OUAT, but I have seen the promo for 3x11 and can I just say - holy. crap. that. captain swan. look... had me on my knees. If they don't end up together I'm giving up on life.**


	12. The Ground On Which We Stand

"What do you mean I'm sinking?!" Emma yelled, looking at her lower body part. Her eyes bugged out when she saw that he was right - her feet weren't visible anymore, sickly green sludge had covered them and it looked like they had been cut off, making Emma strangely have an idea about how Hook feels like every day. She didn't know whether to panic or try to stay calm, but when she saw that he was getting taller with every passing second - she realized she has already sunk to her knees - she completely lost it.

"Why in the hell are you just standing there?!" she shouted, waving her arms at him. "Do something, you idiot! Get a branch or some rope and just get me out!"

Hook didn't seem to take well to her shouting and commands, he simply rolled his eyes. When Emma saw that he was rubbing his chin with his hands, a thoughtful look on his face, she immediately regretted yelling at him. She had a feeling where this would go, and his next sentence only proved she knew him better than she thought.

"Now, what do we say when we want to be saved from dying by a dashing pirate... again?"

It was Emma's turn to roll her eyes. She was half-annoyed, half-freaked out by him, since she had sunk to her hips, and he still showed no intention of finding a way to get her out. "We say the pirate's an egotistical ass with deep issues who will get his ass kicked by a Savior. Now help me."

"Hm... I have never heard anyone say that. I think we say that the pirate is extremely handsome, intelligent, simply breath-taking with a sword and a real hero. Haven't you ever said that?" he quirked an eyebrow, mocking her.

"That's a bucket of narcissistic issues right there, pal," she said dryly.

"You still haven't said it..." he sing-songed, settling himself on a small log near Emma.

For the hundredth time that day, she felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her. "You... you want me to say...?" she stuttered, trying to find a way to dig herself out so she could kill him. He shrugged, clearly sending her a message she was right. Emma sighed, before she spoke through gritted teeth. "Fine. You are... extremely handsome, intelligent, simply breath-taking with a sword and..."

"And?" he encouraged, a smirk playing on his lips. "Go on."

"... and a real hero. There. You happy now?"

He frowned, "I don't know. I'm not quite sure that was... well, truthful - from the heart. How about you go again, just with more feelings. I think you can do it."

"Oh, for the love of God!" she all but screamed now. "Get me out of here, Hook, or I swear I'll-"

"Hold your horses there, princess. I'm coming," he said, hopping off the log he was perched on. He surprised her when he pulled out some rope that was undoubtedly tied to his belt, and threw it to her. Emma clumsily caught it and wrapped it around her fist, ready to be pulled out.

"You were going to do this the whole time, weren't you?" she drawled, already knowing the answer.

He shook his head, hiding a grin, as he did the same thing as her and wrapped the rope around his hooked arm, grabbing it with the other. "I know I may not be your favorite bottle of rum, but even I am not_ that_ cruel. To a certain extent, yes, but leaving you to a death this..."

"Suckish?" she offered.

"Indeed. It would be overdoing it. Good form you have there, Swan. It takes a lot of upper body strength to pull yourself up like that," he said then, making Emma believe he had finally gone crazy. Then she looked at his legs and felt her stomach drop.

"I'm not pulling myself up, Hook," she said, rubbing her face. "You're sinking as well."

"What?" he looked momentarily struck, before he started to struggle, with no luck. "Oh, bloody hell," he said eventually. "You could have warned me," he accused her.

"You could have watched where you were going!" she shot back.

"You could have too!"

They glared at each other for a few long, tense seconds, before Emma sighed, tearing her eyes away from his face. "Okay, fighting won't get us anywhere. We have to figure out how to get out of this before we both die, because honestly, I am losing body parts," she said, looking down at her body. Sludge has by now swallowed half of her chest and was going for her throat. She fought the urge to shiver at the disgusting feeling it gave her - sticky, wet, slippery and cold.

"I hate to admit it, but we agree on something," he looked around, searching for something to grab as he felt himself sinking a few inches more. He spotted a strong-looking branch not too far away from them, and started to untangle the rope he had wrapped around his hand.

Emma eyed him suspiciously, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to try throwing the rope. If we're lucky, it will wrap itself around that branch and we'll be able to pull ourselves out."

"It sounds way too easy to work," Emma, ever the pessimist, said.

"Well you have a wonderful way of ruining it."

"Fine," she huffed, "give a try, captain. But if you miss, I'm punching you."

He ignored her and went on to throw the rope. Emma watched as it missed the branch by a full three feet and fell to the ground. Hook cursed as it slipped from his hands, landing further than he could reach. "I don't want to hear a word," he growled.

"I wasn't going to say anything!" Emma shrugged, before she socked him in the shoulder. "See?" she smiled sweetly, ignoring the daggers he sent her way, "I didn't say anything. I did warn you though," she pointed out. Shivers ran through her when she sank a few more inches. "I... I think it's time we stopped messing around. We really have a problem now," she looked at the mud, a disgusted and slightly scared look settling on her face. "What do we do?"

"You... aren't going to be fond of my suggestions."

"What are they?"

He refused to look at her, "I... I have none."

"Great. That's very helpful." She ran her hand over her face, cringing when she actually smeared some mud over it. "This day keeps getting worse."

"I've thought about many ways in which I might die, but this one never crossed my mind," Hook admitted.

Ten minutes later, Emma was so very close to tears. She was never fond of crying, especially in front of other people, but the sludge was up to her neck, and she desperately tried to keep her head above the surface. The man stuck next to her was trying to do the same thing. Mud was up to Hook's shoulders and unlike Emma, he seemed more angry than scared.

"I'm open to suggestions," she murmured, feeling slightly light headed from the cold. Her eyelids slowly started dropping, her body relaxed and she felt herself sinking faster than before. All she wanted to do was take a nice, long nap.

"No! No, don't you do that now!" Hook shouted, reaching out to her, trying to make her snap out of it. He knew she still wasn't up to her full strength because of the fever that racked her body only mere days ago. It made everything much more frightening. "You can't fall unconscious, you'll die before you know it! Swan!" Nothing. "Emma!" he yelled, louder. Her eyes fluttered open for a split second, giving him a chance to see her slightly glazed-over, sea green orbs. If even for a moment, he allowed himself to think how her eyes went against everything he ever knew, seemingly defying reason. They were absolutely stunning, if not a little magical.

_Magic._

"Swan, you have to snap out of it! I figured out a way for us to get out!" he yelled, his voice bordering on panic. "Your magic! Use your magic!"

"I... I can't," she said quietly, feeling herself drifting off again. If it wasn't for his voice, she would probably already be asleep.

"You have to. Emma, _please, _use your magic to get us out. Think of your son, your parents. How are you to go back to them if you're sleeping with the dead? You have to focus, listen to me. Think of Henry," he attempted one last time, because mud was now on his chin. He could taste it on his lips and the feeling was quite dreadful.

Emma was fighting really hard. She tried to make that familiar rush run through her, but nothing was happening. She was so cold and tired that she could barely remember her name. Then Hook said Henry's name and everything seemed to turn brighter. She blinked a few times, trying to sharpen her sight. What did Gold tell her? Her thoughts make her magic manifest. So she shut her eyes tight and thought about Henry, thought about every fiber in her that wanted to find her kid, that wanted him safe.

The fire in her hands would burn anyone else, but to her it felt surprisingly pleasant.

She felt the mud turn hard around her, and she knew the heat was making it harden. Soon she heard it crack and she felt giddy when she realized she could move her hands. "I'm doing it," she breathed out, awed. "I can't believe this is working. Hook!"

"Brilliant. Now get me out."

She grabbed a tree branch that hung low and managed to pull herself out of the mud that crumbled around her. She looked down at her body and inwardly cringed. She was covered in sticky mud, and pieces of just about anything hung lazily off her clothes. Emma had no idea how she'd survive in those wet, dirty clothes, but she couldn't wait for the moment when she'd step in a hot shower. Or at least have someone throw a bucket of water on her.

She turned to Hook, who was struggling to breathe. "Okay, hold on," she said, breaking the branch off. She extended it to him, urging him to grab it and hold on. Once he did, she started to pull until her arms ached and joints screamed in protest. "Time to hit the gym, captain," she muttered, giving one last pull. He coughed as his chest hit the dry, solid ground, and Emma noticed he seemed to clinging to the dirt. "You okay?" she asked, breathless.

"Been better, princess."

She lazily kicked him, not putting any force into it. "Don't call me that."

He ignored her, already rising to his feet. "We should get going. We don't want night to catch us."

"Already?" she whined.

"Believe me, you don't want to find yourself stuck in this forest for long, especially not by night."

Emma watched as he threw one look at his robes, seemingly wincing at the ruined leather, then shook it off, moving forward. She gaped as he walked, not even bothering to look back and see if she was following. Emma cursed, somehow finding it in her to rise to her feet. She picked up her pace, even though her whole body ached, trying to catch up with the ridiculously jaunty pirate in front of her.

They walked for hours through the forest, trying to make at least some way before nightfall. Emma often fell behind, courtesy of Hook's stupidly fast pace, making him yell at her to hurry up every few minutes, effectively getting on her nerves. She had half a mind to take a rock and just kill him then and there, but then she would see he was right, the later it was the scarier the forest got. She trailed behind him, and the whole scene eerily resembled the time she searched for David in the woods, along with Mary Margaret, Henry and Graham.

But when the sun set, everything shifted. The shadows were longer, the trees were taller and she swore she heard rustling more times than she cared to admit. She told herself she was just being paranoid, but she saw Hook jerk at some of the signs, and she knew none of it was in her head. He heard it too.

Eventually, there was no more putting it off. It was late into the night and sleep deprivation was a bitch in an unknown, dangerous forest. They were both stumbling like a couple of rag dolls. Granted, Emma was also cursing whenever she tripped, but it was a silent understanding between them that they'd both ignore it. After something that sounded a lot like a wolf howl echoed through the forest, Hook was adamant that they made camp, even with Emma's pretty weak protests.

"We'll continue on our way with the sunrise," he said, turning around.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked quietly through her haze.

"To get the firewood, princess. Don't worry, I'm not leaving you to the wolves."

She rolled her eyes, "Good."

Hook's smirk grew as he got farther away, "I'm leaving you to the bears."

* * *

"What the hell took you so long?" Emma couldn't help but wonder when Hook came back, almost half an hour later with an armful of firewood.

"Finding firewood in a forest in the dark is not as easy as you might think," he drawled out, throwing the wood on the ground. He grabbed his knife and a rock, making Emma realize he was about to start the fire caveman-style.

"You don't have to do that," she jumped in.

"Well it's not going to start itself," he retorted, a hint of snide in his voice.

She desperately wanted to roll her eyes, but she'd been doing it so often she was starting to get a headache. So she just shook her head and focused on the magic she could now recognize inside of her. A small surge went through her and she snapped her fingers, a spark escaping her and falling into the woodpile. A moment later crackling noises filled the air, and smoke started to come out.

Emma smiled at the cozy fire that crackled, bathing her surroundings in soft light. "See? Told you."

His gaze settled on her for a few seconds, before he spoke. "If you're so talented at magic, why don't you simply send yourself back to your time? It seems a lot easier than all this," he pointed out, sounding genuinely interested.

"Talented?" Emma repeated, the word tasting bad in her mouth. "I'm not talented at magic. Up until a few months ago I didn't even know I had it in me. And now... well I don't like using it."

"Why not?" Hook successfully made it sound like she was out of her mind.

"I just don't, okay?" she snapped. "It doesn't sit well with me."

"That is a lie. You just want something to fight against."

Emma's eyebrows shot up at his words. "What?"

He sat on the ground and leaned back against a boulder. "Based on what you told me, I've concluded you're against everything that somehow... defines you. When you were an orphan you fought against that and you ran. Even though you deny it, you fought against being a mother because you were scared so you gave your son away. When your lad tried to make you see there is magic out there and that you were a princess, you fought it. Even now when it's been proven to you a hundred times and you're standing in the middle of the Enchanted forest, you are still going out of your way to _not _be who you are. You're fighting your magic because you're scared of it."

"Oh, I am so not getting a psychoanalysis from you, Mr. perfect picture of mental health. Like you aren't fighting against letting Milah go." He didn't have a snarky remark for her, which made Emma see he knew what she was getting at. "Right. So you can hit but you can't take a punch? Man up."

"I am afraid I don't know what you are talking about."

"Fine, I'll be blunt - you're being _evasive.__"_

His eyes dangerously flashed, "Then I shall be blunt too - your opinion doesn't really matter to me, Swan. Think what you will."

"Great, I already think you're incredibly pathetic," she said, standing up. Minutes ago she was dead tired, now she was tired of sitting. Slowly but surely, she was getting mad at him for not knowing who she is. It was worse than being with someone who has amnesia, at least they have an excuse for being a jerk, he didn't really have one. She was trying to make him see, trying to crack him open just because she knew she could, because she already has and what she saw inside really made her head spin.

He was on his feet in a flash as well. "And what is it that makes me so pathetic?" he hissed.

"This," she yelled, taking a menacing step towards him, "stupid inability to let go! She's dead, Hook! I know you don't want to hear it and I know it hurts, trust me, I know, but she's gone and you can't bring her back." Her voice softened when she saw the broken gleam in his eyes. "Getting revenge on Rumpelstiltskin won't bring her back. And I..." the words tumbled out before she could stop them. She what? What was she even going to say?

"You what?" he asked, stepping closer. His eyes stayed glued to hers and for a second she thought she saw them flickering to her lips. But that was impossible; he was still hurting and pining after Milah. But then he took another step forward, something odd appearing in his eyes, making them seem brighter for the smallest fraction of a second.

Another step down, and Emma was seriously starting to think he was going to... well, kiss her. An even bigger problem was the fact she wanted him too. It was probably against every law how much she wanted to grip the collar of his coat and pull him to her like she did back in Neverland, but she knew she couldn't, and if she didn't break the eye contact soon she knew there would be no stopping her.

She whipped around, turning her back to him, and started to fumble with the hilt of her sword. "I think it's not healthy for anyone to cling on to so much pain. Makes you go crazy after a while," she said, giving a sardonic chuckle. Emma settled against her own rock quickly, avoiding his eyes and trying to seem as cold as possible. This was all too much. All she wanted to do was go home and have a glass of something strong. "Wake me up when it's my shift," she mumbled, closing her eyes.

She was already drifting off when she barely heard his voice, low and quiet like she has never heard it before. "As you wish," was his response.

* * *

What was wrong with him? What was he doing? Was he really that stupid?

Damn her.

Hook was cursing the memories that came to him as he, along with the Charmings, explored Pan's hiding place. When the sharp pain subsided and he could make out things, make some sense of them, he wished the ground would just swallow him up. The guilt he instantly felt was overbearing and it weighted on his chest like a cement block, effectively making it hard for him to breathe.

"You okay there, Hook?" Charming asked after observing him for a while and having an internal struggle over whether or not he should say something. "You seem like... well, like you are in your own personal chunk of hell."

He snorted, "You could say that." David said nothing, and it didn't take Hook long to see right through his tactic. He appreciated the effort, though, so opening up to the king that might chop his head off proved to be easier than he thought. "She's doing something to me. Emma, I mean."

"Getting more memories, I'm guessing." He looked over his shoulder to where Mary Margaret stood, looking through a shelf with magical potions. The pirate took it as a sign that David didn't want his wife to hear whatever it was he was about to say. "Good or bad?" David asked, turning back to look at him.

"Depends for who."

David simply arched an eyebrow.

Hook sighed, feeling it was about time to let him know the truth. "She's pretty certain that she's found a way to cure you."

"That's good..." David started, before Hook's words actually made sense to him. "Wait, what? Me? What the hell are you talking about? What is she thinking of doing?" he hissed, his voice dropping.

"She... we... she got the past me to take her to a sorceress that could be the answer to you leaving this island. But I... I'm not sure what the price will be."

David ran his hand over his face, a troubled look settling upon it. He paced around for a few seconds, cursing repeatedly under his breath, before facing Hook. "And the let's call them bad news?"

"I guess my love for Milah wasn't as strong as I thought," he shrugged noncommittally, though his pain was still clear as day. "Emma... she is making me-"

"You're falling in love with her," Mary Margaret's voice said from behind David, and both men jumped up, startled to see her standing there, with a terrifyingly hurtful look on her face. For the first time since he met her, Hook had a feeling she wasn't looking at him like he was a villain. Perhaps a man who could be worth saving. Emma used to look at him like that when he did something like saving her father, or telling her where Neal was even if it mean a rift appearing between them.

"That's not even the worst part of it all. If she gets her way, makes me a good, ol' ship lieutenant again-"

"You'll die," Mary Margaret and David said at the same time.

He hated that they were both staring at him like he was on his deathbed as they spoke, but there was pretty much no going back from this. It was out there. "Aye. I won't ever make it to Neverland or hunt for Rumpelstiltskin. I will probably turn to dust right here in Neverland."

"We have to do something," Mary Margaret said, her voice barely powerful enough.

"True. Too bad you won't have any time to do it."

Hook, David and Mary Margaret turned around only to see Pan standing in the entrance. Pan was sporting a smirk while Felix stood behind him, looking grim as ever as he played with his sword.

Charming drew his sword, stepping in front of Snow. "What are you talking about, Pan?" he asked, his voice rising.

Peter cocked his head, as to study him better. "Oh, I have a special surprise for your daughter, Charming. I believe she and Hook will be quite fond of it, actually."

* * *

Just as she fell into a dreamless sleep, maybe minutes or maybe hours later, Emma felt someone grab and urgently shake her shoulder. She jolted awake, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. She looked up only to see Hook standing above her, looking like he'd been punched in the gut.

"What is it?"

"We have to move," he said, his voice sharp. "We have company."

She got up on her feet and looked around. The forest was dark and the only source of light was the fire that barely burned. She squinted, trying to make out anything in the pitch black, but all she could hear were sounds of leaves crunching. Straining her ears a bit, she realized it was the sound of footsteps coming closer. Long, heavy footsteps that definitely didn't belong to a human.

"Have you ever seen a troll before?" Hook asked. She shook her head wordlessly. He nodded, "Let's hope you won't."

And with that, he stomped on the fire, putting it out completely.

* * *

**SCHOOL IS OUT. IT'S OVER. OVER.**

**Okay, I'm done now. **

**I wanna thank you all for being so incredibly amazing and for putting up with me and my venting-out. It meant the world to me and honestly, kind of helped me get through these last few days. For the sake of socialization, tell me, how did you do? What are the grades like? I really, really, really want to know. **

**I hope you liked the chapter, I just kind of wrote it real quick because I haven't updated in over a week so that was both bumming me out and urging me on. Let me know if you liked it by leaving me a review.**

**By the way, did you see the winter finale? I. died. repeatedly. When Emma said "Good," I squealed. When I read that a year had passed I just about burst into tears. And when Hook appeared on her doorstep my screams were so loud, that my mom ran into my room, thinking I had hurt myself. I simply cannot wait until March! **

**Oh, oh! I kind of got an idea for a new story and it's pretty awesome (in my head), so I'll get right on that just as soon as I'm done with this one. Once again, thanks for all the love.**


	13. Through Darkness And Flames

Things were not looking up.

The footsteps were getting closer, making the trees shake slightly. She looked around, before grabbing her sword and tucking it away. Hook eyed her as she pulled her shirt down. "You might want to keep it in your hand. God knows you might need it."

Her eyes shot up to meet his only for a moment, before she reached back and pulled the sword out. He gave her a sharp nod when the ground shook and a bang echoed throughout the forest. Emma frowned when he pushed her roughly, probably not on purpose, and made her break out in a run. Emma felt stiff and wooden as she ran. Her muscles were sore and her whole body rebelled against the sudden movement. Even though she wasn't as fast as she usually was, Hook still trailed behind, or ran side-by-side with her.

"They're getting closer," he huffed after they've been running for a while.

Emma knew it was a bad idea, but she looked back and felt her eyes double in size. Through the dark, she could make out two large figures running after them, their bodies moving heavily. Her breath hitched when one of the trolls stopped and crouched down to pick up a large rock. A moment later Hook felt her tackle him to the ground, saving him from the boulder that would have crushed him. They rolled to the ground with Emma landing on top of him, their foreheads colliding painfully, before Emma quickly shuffled off him, ignoring the sensations that ran through her. She helped Hook to his feet and they ran again, this time with the trolls closer than before.

"Do we fight?" she yelled over the noise.

"Only if you have a death wish."

"Then I'm good."

"Here!" he yelled as he caught her arm and pulled her in his direction, making her take a sharp turn to the right. She recovered a second later, using up whatever was left of her energy.

"This is pointless! Those bastards are never going to stop!" she screamed, feeling desperate.

"You're right," he said after a beat. Then, out of nowhere, Hook stopped running, much to Emma's horror.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled at him, feeling her blood turn to ice. He ignored her, pulling out a hunting knife from his coat and whipping around in a flash, throwing it at one of the trolls. She watched as the blade firmly lodged itself in the place where his heart should be. The troll's face went blank and he collapsed to the ground.

"There," Hook breathed, catching her hand and pulling her after him as he start to run again. "Now it's just _one _bastard we have to deal with."

Emma listened to the remaining troll, as he screeched and wailed in pain and utter despair. His howling was quickly followed by loud, furious cry. "Crap," she muttered, "you just pissed it off. We're gonna have to do something about him too."

"Well we can't fight it with a sword. It would squash us as soon as we'd come near it. It has to be long distance or not at all."

Emma nodded shortly, "I can work with that," she said cryptically. Before Hook could see what she was doing, she did what Regina taught her, focusing her anger into magic. A fireball appeared in her hand and she threw it at the troll, not really caring if she hit him or not - it would spread through the forest and block him from coming near them. At the very least it would buy them some time, and that's exactly what they needed.

"You'll burn the whole forest down!" Hook shouted.

It surprised her how much the thought _didn't _bother her. "Good," she replied, her voice sounding so cold that for a second she doubted it even belonged to her. "I hope I will." Another fireball thrown. "I hope the fire takes whatever is in the forest with it." And another one.

Her plan had somewhat worked and she could hear the troll's footsteps grow distant. Neither of them stopped running though. Emma had no idea what was urging her on to continue running, but somehow she was doing it. Tree branches kept getting dangled in her clothes and hair, her feet kept getting tangled up in the roots, but she managed to brush it off. Unlike Hook, whose foot suddenly got lodged and pain surged through him when he tried to move.

He growled in frustration, bending down, trying to get his foot out. Emma quickly rushed back, trying to help him as fire spread around them. She looked around, her eyes widening when she saw the flames that divulged everything in their way. Her eyes watered from the smoke, and Emma started to cough, her lungs and throat burning.

"Come on..." Emma mumbled, strangely calm, as she fumbled with his ankle, trying to get it out. When she did, she made a move to drag him along, but Hook shook his head, urging her to go on without him.

"It's sprained, I can't run."

Her forehead was covered in cold sweat and she wanted to go and find herself a hiding place where she'd just curl up and cry, but she'll be damned if she let him die in the fire _she _caused.

"Don't be stupid," she snapped, pulling him up and draping his arm over her shoulders. "We have to move, come on." She supported his weight with her body, helping him as they made their way through the burning forest. She was losing all hope, looking around as the fire swallowed everything up, until she saw a cave not for ahead. "There," she said, nodding her head towards it. She made him go faster, even if his muffled groans did make her flinch every time. She heard the branches and trunks of trees cracking and wondered if they'd have enough time.

They managed to run into the cave just as a giant oak tree collapsed from its own weight right on the cave. Acting on pure instinct, Hook pushed Emma against a wall and shielded her with his body as the entrance crumbled, rocks and boulders flying everywhere. Once the dust settled, he looked up and backed away, fighting desperately against the cold feeling that came over him as soon as he moved away from her.

Throwing a glance at her, he saw the horrified look on her face and realized she was still in shock over what happened. "You okay, love?" he asked, trying to make his voice sound as gentle as possible. He didn't really think shouting and cursing at her would make the situation any easier. "Are you hurt?"

She laughed bitterly, and when she looked at him he saw tears in her eyes. "You're asking me if _I'm _okay? What the hell's wrong with you? You're the one who I almost got killed. God, I can't believe I was so stupid," she said, shaking her head.

He eyed her carefully, simply waiting for her to spontaneously combust, "What do you mean?"

"The fireballs? Who in their right mind even thinks of throwing fireballs in a freaking _forest _filled with centuries-old trees?!"

"Well then why did you?"

She averted her eyes, not in the mood to have her mind read by him. Then, she shrugged, as if that explained everything. "It just seemed as a... quick solution, you know? I didn't care that the forest would burn down, or that there might be any people living in it."

"Just so you know, there are no people in the forest. You would have to be incredibly stupid to live here. Did you see the things that roam these grounds?" he frowned, referring to the trolls. "And compared to other things, the trolls are as scary as a pair of puppies," he said, making a smile stretch her lips.

She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand and gave him a watery chuckle. "Well I learned my lesson. My time of playing with fireballs is up."

"On the contrary, Swan. I was quite impressed with what you did back there."

"Now I'm sure that there's something wrong with you."

He rolled his eyes, wiping a stray tear away with his thumb. "There's nothing wrong with fighting, Emma, and back there you fought to save your father and your lad. It takes a great deal of courage to make a sacrifice as great as the one you're making for the people you love." Even in the cave, his voice sounded much quieter and lower, if not a bit breathy and raspy, hitting Emma all the more.

She cocked an eyebrow, "Are you really giving me life lessons?"

He shrugged, "Somebody has to. You're gonna have to settle for the pirate."

Saying that she was in no way settling was on the tip of her tongue, but she forced the words back down before she ruined everything, knowing he'd only go back to his shell. Instead, she focused on other things, like his injury she was indirectly responsible for.

"How's your ankle?" she asked, eyeing it warily.

He waved his hand dismissively, just like Emma thought he would, cranking up his bravado and whatnot.

She rolled her eyes, using her own foot to lift his pant-leg up. Squinting in the darkness, she sighed when she saw the dark purple that colored his skin. "Yeah, because that's nothing. It has to hurt like hell," she mumbled, cocking her head to examine it closer. But he jerked away, making her eyes flash dangerously. "What?" she growled, bothered by the fact he wouldn't let her look.

"Staring at it won't make it better."

"Yeah, well, raise your hand if you have magic that can heal people," she mumbled, raising her hand. She looked around mockingly, "Only me?" her jaw dropped. "Now what does that tell us? That the pirate has to sit down and shut up." She pushed on his shoulders to get him to sit down so she could fix him, but he fought her relentlessly, making her see she'd have to resort to low blows. "Look," she sighed, "helping you would make me feel less guilty about everything that I've destroyed out there." Just for a good measure, she made sure to look less hostile than usually.

He stared at her for a few moments, before letting out a heavy sigh and dropping to the ground. "I can't believe this," he grumbled, shaking his head. "Bloody ridiculous."

"Shut up."

She moved and carefully sat down next to him, thinking of the best way to do this. She gently touched his ankle, and he hissed, making her roll her eyes. "Don't be such a baby." She studied it for a few more seconds, "You really got it stuck in there, didn't you?" she said in wonder.

"Why the running commentary, Swan?" he asked, and when Emma looked up she saw a cocky grin on his face. "Don't you have magic that can heal me?" he mocked her, using her own words against her.

"Bite me."

She took a deep breath and placed her hand on his ankle. Her hand was cold and felt nice in contrast to his burning skin. She closed her eyes, thinking of all the ways this could backfire. Is she were to make him grow another head she would never hear the end of it. Literally, because he would have two mouths and she couldn't even imagine _that _horror.

"I'm not getting any younger here."

Emma looked at him darkly, making him chuckle. "I'm trying, okay? Can you shut up for a minute?" He held his hands up, leaning back against the wall of the cave. Deciding it would be best to just let her do her thing, he settled on simply studying her once she closed her eyes. He frowned. Fighting the feelings stirring inside his chest was becoming harder with each hour he spent next to her, because the lass had a way of being so bloody charming and marvelous, captivating and enchanting, infuriating and annoying, that Hook imagined she didn't even know just how special she truly was. The magic she could do was proof enough.

Soft white light suddenly came from her hands, and he flinched slightly at the warmth that spread through him. The throbbing pain in his ankle was weakening, and all he could do was focus on his breathing to stop himself from staring at her like she was a _bloody miracle. _

She cracked a single eye open a couple of seconds later, peaking down at his ankle, making him fight a smirk. Her lips stretched in victory when she saw that the bone that was dislodged moments before was back in its place, and that his skin had it's normal, healthy color again.

She looked up, her eyes meeting his', a smirk appearing on her face, "Told you I could do it."

"I never said you couldn't, princess. The doubt is all on you." His words made the smirk slip off, and her eyes grew sad, making him wonder what went wrong. "You should have a little bit more faith in yourself, Emma," he heard himself saying.

She snorted as she flexed her fingers, obviously avoiding his gaze. "Easier said than done."

"I'm sensing there's a back story hidden there," he pointed out.

"Nothing I'm going to tell you."

He put on a look of fake hurt, and pressed his hand to his chest. "I must say, Emma Swan, you can wound a man."

She punched him on the shoulder, and none too gently, before moving to sit next to him. "God, you're annoying," she mumbled, shaking her head. Hook stayed quiet, knowing she'd go on whether he wanted her or not, though he'd never admit it aloud that he wanted her to share whatever it is that was eating at her soul. "It's just that..." she started, her voice faltering, "and this is going to sound really sappy," she added quickly, "but all my life I never had _anyone _to believe in me and now suddenly everyone's like, "you're the savior, you have to save us, we believe in you,"" she said, lowering her voice, doing a bad impression of whoever it was she was talking about. "It's just hard for me to actually believe it."

"If everyone else believes in you, I don't understand why you don't believe in yourself."

She huffed, brushing her hair off her face. "Fine, let me dumb it down for you. If you had countless women turn you down your whole life, would you really believe someone if they said you were this big seducer who could get any girl?"

"Well I don't know how to answer that one because I've never had a woman turn me down, love."

She slapped her hand to her face, shaking her head. "Man, I really set myself up for that one, didn't I?"

"Probably. But look," he said, "my brother used to say that when you don't believe in yourself, you have to find someone who will, and it sounds to me like you have a whole army of people out there, ready to put their lives at stake because they, whatever the reason, believe in _you."_

She seemed to think his words through, neither of them caring that their conversation took a more depressing, sappy route. Emma leaned her head against the wall and played with her fingers, until a small flame appeared, lighting the cave up. For a long time, they both just stared at it in silence, until the fire started to go out. Throwing her a curious look, Hook found Emma drifting off, her head falling on his shoulder when she finally fell asleep, the flame going out with her.

* * *

Emma woke up, appreciating the fact that she did it on her own accord and not because Hook was shaking her awake because something was trying to eat them. She didn't open her eyes, she just tried to remember where she was. Her head was resting on something not exactly soft like a pillow, but not as hard like a rock. She could smell leather, sea salt and rum.

Hook. Of course.

She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the dimmed light of the cave. Rays of sun were breaking through the cracks in the entrance, but Emma still knew there was no way they could go out through there for various reasons. For one, the troll could still be out there. Then, the fire might still be raging. But at last, there was no way to go through the rocks without a battering ram.

Something she forgot to pack.

Looking up, she saw Hook sleeping soundly, something she hasn't seen him do since the storm, maybe even before that. It was amazing how long he could go without a goodnight's sleep.

When she moved her head off his shoulder, Hook stirred awake as well, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Morning," Emma said dryly.

He scratched his scalp absent-mindedly, looking around. "For a change it might actually be."

Both of them rose to their feet, and Emma uselessly tried to dust off her clothes. "What now?" she asked, looking at the entrance to the cave, feeling strangely trapped.

"The cave goes deeper into the mountain, I'm guessing it leads to somewhere. Shall we?"

"Well we're not waiting for Santa's elves to come and get us," Emma said, chuckling lightly at her own words. She saw the pale look he gave her and quickly grew weary. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

No Santa in the Enchanted forest. Go figure.

* * *

"Are the ropes too tight? I feel like they're too tight," Peter said mockingly as he inspected the roped that bound Hook's wrists. "I wouldn't want you to get hurt," he smirked, baring his teeth, "especially the royals," he said, throwing a look at Snow and Charming. Pan looked thoughtful for a second, stroking his chin, "You know, I find it incredible that even though, right now, I'm outnumbered, you still can't find your way around beating me. Don't you think that's a bit sad?" he wondered, cocking his head and looking at Felix, who just snickered at his antics. "Personally, I find it very disappointing."

Hook rolled his eyes, "I would rather eat my hook than listen to you talk some more. Can't you just kill us and get it over with?"

"I second that," David piped up, shooting daggers at Pan.

"Oh, I so third it," Mary Margaret added, looking grim.

Pan chuckled sardonically, shaking his head. "I never thought I would live to see the day when Snow White and prince Charming became best friend with captain-bloody-Hook. But you people just keep surprising me. Tell me Hook, does his," he nodded towards David, "threats to kill you every time you look at Emma get boring? I would only assume they do."

"Seriously, are you going to kill us or not? Because I'm starting to look forward to it."

Pan laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, I'm not going to kill you crazy children," he paused for a bit, then shrugged, "well, not yet at least. I'm simply going to leave you tied up here while Felix and I clean this place out. I'm not wild about the idea of you going through my personal things. That's quite rude. So if you gentlemen," he looked at Mary Margaret, "and lady will excuse me, I have some things to hide. Again." He moved to the shelves and started to rummage through them. "And to think," he said after a while, "you were so close..."

"What do you mean?" Snow asked.

"Well, as luck would have it, there is a magical mirror here somewhere that would allow you to communicate with Emma, but we can't have any of that, now can we?" he said, finally pulling out a rusty, old mirror with a silver frame. He studied it for a bit, before making a move to hide it with his magic, when Mary Margaret's voice cut through the silence.

"Don't do it! Please!" she pleaded, fighting against the ropes that cut into her wrists. Her eyes were glued to the mirror in Pan's hands, as if she could keep it there if she didn't take her eyes off of it.

Pan cocked an eyebrow, "And why not?"

"Because Emma can't stay there! Being trapped in a world where nothing is the way it's supposed to be and have no way to change that is the cruelest punishment. Please, let us bring her home."

Pan crouched down next to her, and watched as a tear slid down her face. "That was very well said. But before we go out separate ways for the time being, let us pull a lesson out of this - we can't always get what we want." And with that the mirror went flying into the opposite wall, shattering into a million pieces.

"NO!" Mary Margaret screamed, trashing around to free herself.

Peter smirked, "Next time, stay away from my belongings - it will save you all this pain."

They didn't even blink and he was gone, along with anything that looked like it might be of use them.

Mary Margaret cried, her whimpers the only thing that could be heard in the quiet room. Then, out of nowhere, Hook thrust with his legs, landing on his beck, the wooden chair breaking under the force and his weight.

"What are you doing?!" David yelled, trying to somehow loosen the rope.

"Everything's not lost yet," he said, sounding hopeful. "I have an idea."

"What?" David asked as Hook went behind him and worked on untying the rope. Once he untied the knot, Hook went to untie Snow, who still looked like she wanted to ram an arrow through Pan.

"Your wife might know where I'm coming from, _if _she could pull herself together. Come on now, princess."

"Damn it, Hook! What's the idea?"

"Cora," the pirate said simply, making both Snow and Charming stop in their tracks.

"Cora?" David repeated, looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Are you sure you didn't hit our head when you landed on the ground?"

Hook laughed dryly. "Funny. No, what I meant was, don't you remember when Mary Margaret and Emma fell through that hat and ended up in the Enchanted forest? Their entire time there was spent simply looking for the compass and the magic wardrobe. Even though Emma burned the wardrobe down, it's power remained. Perhaps the same goes for bloody mirrors. If we can get the shards to Regina or Rumpelstiltskin..."

"Maybe they can get it to work again," David finished.

"What are we waiting for?" Snow asked, already rushing to collect the shards. "We'll bring our daughter back and then I'm going to string Pan by his ears."

* * *

"Alright, I admit. These torches are not as bad as I thought they would be," Hook said, admiring the long torch Emma created out of nothing.

She looked slightly dejected at his comment, "Seriously? Did you think it would blow up on your face? 'Cause I can make that happen, just say the word."

"No need to get hostile, I was simply trying to distract you."

This seemed to surprise her. "From what?"

"Well you seemed to be deep in thought and your forehead got unhappy, which usually means Emma Swan is thinking dangerous thoughts that will either get her in mortal danger or make me wonder what I ever did to the world to be punished by meeting you. And since then I start to think about all the bad things I've done, I bring myself down to the point where I just want to get so drunk I can't even remember my own name. Do you see how your thinking affects me? It's reasonable to think I just want to keep you away from doing it."

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find something to say. She settled for mumbling, "Shut up... annoying pirate...

* * *

**Phew! I'm kind of proud of myself right now - I got 4000 words written in record time, well, for me. I just wanted to post it because next chapter is coming after Christmas, I was thinking somewhere around the 28th.**

**The next chapter is a very special one, if I may say so myself ;) But alas, until then tell me if you liked this chapter, I had fun writing it. Pan's so wonderfully evil and past Hook is starting to resemble our present day Hook, all cocky and sweet and awwwww.**

**Good God, I'm so confusing.**

**Until next time, dearies! Merry Christmas to all you beautiful people, I hope you spend the day with your family and loved ones, with a lot of presents, warmth and, of course, food =D **

**And may the odds ever be in your favor.**

**...What?**

"


	14. Icy Stares And Love Affairs

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Emma asked after hours of aimlessly walking around.

"Sorry, Swan, I forgot to check my map of all the caves in existence."

"I didn't think you could do sarcasm, Jones."

He smirked at her, "Oh, I can do a lot of things. Lucky for me, leaving you in this cave is one of them."

"Screw you, it's a cave, not hell. Like I couldn't find my way out. Besides, I only asked because we've been walking for hours and-"

"In case you didn't know, this is a mountain. It's going to take a little bit more walking than crossing the street."

She rolled her eyes, wishing his hair would catch on fire every time the torch seemed to be close to his scalp. "Forget it, I can't have this argument again," she said, referring to every other time they spent hours yelling at each other, fighting over things that made absolutely no sense to at least one of them. "Let's just find our way out and get to that witch."

"Right, Iridia. That's going to be buckets of fun."

Hearing him made Emma think of something, and she spent the next hundred feet trying to think of a way to bring it up. "You.. you said she can see the future."

He nodded, not hearing the slight tremble in her voice, "And the past."

"Do you think she could..." Emma took a deep breath, "tell you who your true love is?" she asked and Hook stopped, turning to face her with and unreadable look. He narrowed her eyes at her, making her feel small.

"Why would you want to know that?"

God damn it. Why did she ask him that? Couldn't she just wait until she met the woman and then ask her? She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to come up with something, _anything_ to say but coming up dry. All she could do was stare at him and wait for... well, she didn't really know what she was waiting for. Maybe a miracle.

Hook leaned against the wall and crossed his arms at his chest, fixing her with a hard stare. "You should know by now that keeping things from me will only result in you dying. So, why even bother? What lethal little secret are you hiding?" he asked. She could tell there was something else buried in his question, but couldn't put her finger on it.

She rubbed her temples, trying to fight off the upcoming headache, "Why do you even care? It's about _my _true love, so obviously it has nothing to do with _you_!"

"If it's going to possibly get me killed, then I have a right to know!" he roared, pushing himself off the wall.

"Guess what, Hook, I did not ask you to do this! So don't give me that crap, because it's your own fault you're here, risking your life. Nobody stopped you from simply drawing me a map and letting me go on my own."

He smiled, baring his teeth, slightly scaring her, "Nobody's stopping you from going now."

She looked further into the cave, the darkness making her uneasy. But she couldn't stay with him, because the longer she did, she felt something happening to her. Something that wasn't good and would only screw her up later on. It was time to face the cold, hard truth - she couldn't open her heart up to a man whose own heart was a stone block and who wouldn't even remember anything when she got back to the present. She was living in the past - literally.

She sent him a cold look, before turning on her heel. "You're right. You are definitely right. I hope I don't see you again, Hook!" she yelled over her shoulder as she walked away from him. She forced herself to continue moving, even though her feet felt numb. She felt cold all of a sudden, even with the torch right next to her. Emma knew that wasn't a good sign, she just didn't know of what.

* * *

A few hours later, she finally saw daylight at the end of the cave. Tears blurred her vision as she ran towards it, feeling happy and sad at the same time. The moment she breathed in fresh air, she felt her mind clearing up. Looking around, she saw the sun was setting, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Above her was the lilac sky, a single star shining on it, and in front of her stretched miles of a forest that looked less scary than the one she burned down.

Knowing there was no going back, she set out into the woods, before Hook found his way out of the cave. She did _not _want to deal with him.

By the time she mustered up enough pride to admit it to herself that she was lost, it was too late. The sun was down, more stars appeared on the night sky and once again she realized just how stupid she had been. Out of all the stupid crap she'd done, this definitely took the crown. She reached for her sword every time she heard a noise, and soon enough her own footsteps scared her.

What was wrong with her? She wasn't so distraught and out of her element since... she honestly couldn't remember.

The son of a bitch played and broke her like a toy.

Still, she had to admit that the past few months gave her, if nothing, amazing survival skills. She managed to set up a camp for herself, fire and everything. She even managed to catch a damn _rabbit, _but didn't have it in her to kill it. So she created a magical cage and put the animal in it. That proved to be a mistake because now the rabbit just _stared _at her.

She eyed it warily, "You're a weird one, aren't you?" she paused. "Maybe I should name you, since I obviously won't kill or eat you. You'll be... Henry... David... Swan. Congratulations."

Oh God, she was talking to a rabbit.

Suddenly, she heard a twig snap and was on her feet in a flash, sword drawn and pointed at the source of the sound. A couple of footsteps later, she allowed herself to breathe again when she recognized the figure, but didn't lower her sword.

Hook came out of the shadow, his arms up in the air and a knowing smirk on his face. "Now how did I know this would happen? I have to say, not being able to kill that rabbit was a bit pathetic of you. No, wait. It's _really _pathetic. I thought you were tougher than that."

She ignored him. "Hook," she breathed out his name, barely noticing her hands were shaking. "What are you doing here?"

"That is a pretty stupid question, don't you think, Emma?" he said quietly, placing his hand at the sword's blade and pushing it down slowly, never breaking eye-contact with her. He watched her as she tucked the sword away. "Now that there are no sharp objects threatening to dig my eyes out, I would assume an apology is in order. I overreacted, I... I'm sorry." Emma quirked an eyebrow, slightly impressed. Knowing Hook, she knew how hard it had to be for him to get those words out. His ego was the size of the whole Enchanted forest.

"I guess... I also got defensive over nothing. I mean, the whole thing is about something a fairy told me. The same one who said I could go back through another time portal also said a way for me to go back was by finding my true love. But, I mean, come on, be serious," she rolled her eyes, "if I couldn't find the guy back in my time, how in the hell am I supposed to find him three hundred years in the-"

The rest of her words were left unsaid, because he was suddenly _right in front of her _and he was grabbing her shoulders and pushing her, making her back collide with a tree. Her breath was knocked right out of her, but her painful gasp got muffled when he kissed her, keeping his hands above her shoulders, pressing her up against the tree. She imagined the idea was to keep her from running away, but it's not like she would have anyway.

Her initial response to the kiss was to try and push him away, because nobody has ever tried anything like that before. Going by what her gut told her, she pressed her palms on his chest and tried to push him away, but he didn't budge. His lips kept moving over hers, creating a fire in her stomach that quickly spread through her and reached the tips of her fingers and toes. Before she knew it, her eyes were closing, her fingers were curling around his coat and pulling him closer, and she was just... losing. Losing herself, her reason, the battle, the war.

The way his stubble scraped her face and the way his tongue ran over her bottom lip was making her go disgustingly weak in the knees. The way his hand moved to her face and behind her neck, pulling her even closer, if it was possible, made her ears burn. And when she gasped for breath and he took the chance to deepen the kiss, she swore magic was building up in her fingertips.

But he broke the kiss soon after, and the magic quickly drained out of her. She felt him move his arms away and opened her eyes, only to see his back as he stalked back into the depth of the forest, not even throwing her a glance. She gritted her teeth and clutched her fists at her sides, knowing where this was going. Emma wasn't scared he wouldn't be back - the exact opposite really, she was absolutely sure he'd be here when she opened her eyes again in the middle of the night. She was more terrified of him coming back, because knowing the way he thought, things just took a turn for the complicated.

If he spoke another word to her while she was here, she'd honestly be surprised.

She looked at the rabbit, who was scrunching it's nose at her. "What are you looking at?"

* * *

He wandered through the woods for hours, trying to run away from the blonde that waited for him back at the camp, even though he knew it was useless. He'd be going back without a second thought, because apparently that's what he did now. Once upon a time, even Milah didn't give him that sense of importance, like he _had _to be near her or everything would go to hell.

Milah. His sweet, beautiful, strong Milah.

He closed his eyes, trying to picture her. He could still remember the way he ran his fingers through her hair, or how her grey eyes would sparkle when she looked at him or get sad when she talked about her son. He could still smell her perfume, still perfectly relive her dying in his arms. But something was off. He couldn't recall how her lips had felt against his, or how a smile lit up her whole face. He fought desperately to remember, but all he could do was think about _her _and hate himself for it, because he knew Milah probably cursed the ground he stood on.

Was it really so easy for him to forget about her for some strange woman who came out of nowhere and was the biggest pain the world has ever seen? But she was so different from Milah. Whilst Milah was strong and unbreakable, Emma was lost and sometimes more than just slightly confused, a lot like him. She saw the world through a pair of dark, pessimistic eyes, not willing to let anyone in, knowing whatever she did someone would end up hurting her, over and over again. She had an insane amount of sarcasm and fake confidence, but didn't believe in herself if someone put a gun to her head. Milah had a spark in her, but Emma... Emma had a fire.

He would have to do something about her. This was going too far, farther than he had initially planned. She had to go away, and soon.

When he returned, she was fast asleep. He knew she probably faked it for a while in case he came back, but her even breathing gave her away. Her face was blank and peaceful, she had her hands crossed on her chest, and kept the cage with the rabbit close to her, the sight almost making his lips twitch. He rolled his eyes, settling on a log across her. It was another thing about her that fascinated him - her not being able to kill a bunny just because it looked at her and scratched it's nose was ridiculous to him. She had to be starving, yet she almost looked like she was about to extend her arms and wrap them around the animal, just to snuggle with it.

But it was a cold shoulder from now on. He knew it, she most likely knew it too. It's probably what she would have done anyway.

* * *

She woke up, drenched in sweat and tears, feeling like someone just let her out of hell after spending an eternity there. She shook her head, trying to make the nightmare go away. Emma frowned, wondering why she was suddenly having nightmares that felt so real, so vivid and almost touchable. She could still feel Henry's heart in her hand, beating slowly as she crushed it, turning it into dust. She still heard Mary Margaret's cruel laugh, one Emma has never heard before and couldn't even imagine how it sounded. Until now. David's furious face when he picked up his sword and threw it at her, trying to kill her, flashed before her eyes and she shivered.

She really wished she had some alcohol with her. Anything to make the images go away.

Emma slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times to adjust them to the bright light. She shook her head, snapping out of her haze. Looking around, she realized she was alone. There was smoke coming out of the improvised fireplace, the fire going out hours ago. A small flicker of panic lit up in Emma, and for a second she thought that son of a bitch actually ditched her. She fought to convince herself otherwise, but seriously, who was she kidding? She should have known the situation would go down this way, hell, she did know. People always ran the second they got even the dumbest reason.

Well, there was no time for her to think about it anyway. She had a witch to find and a son to get back to. The pirate was a problem she'd deal with later. Groaning, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, before flexing her neck. Sleeping on a damn log was about as comfortable as getting stabbed in the eye with a carving fork.

Something landed on the ground next to her with a thud and her head snapped to the right, her eyes landing on her sword.

"Get a move on it. We can't prolong this anymore," came Hook's voice. Still sleepy, Emma didn't hear the stiff anger in his seemingly light voice, which made her think she was wrong - maybe he'd let it go. Maybe he'd go back to acting like before, when things were simpler. But looking at him, really looking, she saw he avoided her eyes, keeping his own on the ground or ahead of him. Her face fell as she realized she was right - he was being a jerk even though the whole thing was _his _fault.

She sighed, getting up to her feet. Her fist itched to punch him, but Emma clenched it and kept it at her side. Her mood got even darker when she realized there were still hours worth of travel ahead of them and the most likely case was that they were going to spend it in awkward, tense, angry silence. She picked up her sword and gripped it tightly, imagining herself stabbing him for a few seconds. She could afford that.

"Hurry up!" he barked at her, already getting away. A growl came, deep from Emma's throat, and she fought the urge to slap him silly. What gave _him _the right to treat her like crap just because he hated himself?

Emma shook her head, hurrying to catch up to him. "Men..." she mumbled, "can't live with 'em, can't live..." she stopped, "no, that's it. You just _can't _live with them."

* * *

Hours later, with wordless miles behind them, Emma finally caught sight of a small cottage surrounded by large oak trees. It was hidden well, and the old wood the house was made of blended in nicely with its surroundings, so if Emma hadn't been looking for it, she probably wouldn't have noticed anything was there.

She sighed, feeling relieved. Emma didn't think she could handle any more silence or avoided looks. She was well enough going crazy and the need to do something that would make him hurt was starting to feel overpowering. She had to get away from him and his attitude soon, or she wouldn't be responsible for her actions.

"Thank God..." she mumbled, roughly pushing past him. She figured if he was being a jerk, she could be one too, and act like the kiss never happened, like she wasn't replaying it in her mind before she fell asleep last night. Emma wondered when _she_ became the one trying to break down _his_ walls, and decided that had to change. If he thought his act would get to her, he had another thing coming.

Before she could reach the door though, she felt his hand close around her forearm and jerk her to a stop.

His eyes were cold and tone heavy as he passed her. "Wait here," was his short command. Emma rolled her eyes, about to completely ignore what he said, when she stopped. As much as she wanted to get on his nerves, she didn't want to piss off the witch inside the house. Getting yelled at by Hook was one thing, but getting turned into a dog was a whole other story. Going by the old, _better safe than sorry, _Emma stayed outside, waiting for a sign she could go in.

Inside, Hook faced the woman he once hoped he'd never have to see again. "Iridia. You look..." pause, "absolutely old. What happened to you?" he frowned, observing the witch in front of him. "The last time we saw each other you looked about five hundred years younger."

"Captain," she drawled lazily, not at all surprised to see him, "ever the charmer I see."

He gave her a half-shrug, "Just being honest, love. No point in lying when you can read my thoughts."

She grinned, her teeth showing. "Right you are, dear. Well captain, what brings you by?"

Hook heard a difference in her voice, and when he turned around - he was slowly looking through her house, interested in all the weird trinkets she had there - his eyebrows shot up. "Oh, hell," he said, eyeing the young, very attractive woman that now sat in an armchair in front of him, "why do you always do that? I've told you, it's weird and bloody ridiculous. Can't you just look your age? Your _real _age?"

"I don't think either of us want to see that."

He had to admit, she was right. That horror even he couldn't handle.

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "No more stalling, pirate. Where is the girl? I can sense her magic, it's quite powerful - she's close."

He hesitated for a second, not liking the look in Iridia's eyes when she spoke of Emma's magic. "She's right outside," he said slowly, "but before she comes in, I have a demand."

"Oh?" she arched an eyebrow. "What makes you think you're in a position to make demands?"

"Consider it as a favor due to our life-long friendship."

Iridia sent him a pale look. "I would hardly call it life-long. Or a friendship, for that matter."

"That was incredibly hurtful, I hope you know that," Hook said, sarcasm evident in his voice. _  
_

"I shall do it, however," she said, interrupting him, "for all the times you've assisted me. But I do hope you know that that makes us even and I am of no need to ever come to your aid again, should you need it. I'm not fond of having debts, and yours captain, I have yet to repay. So tell me, what is it that you need me to do before I meet the famous Emma Swan? All the exciting news seem to be about her since she came to our time."

"You will do what she asks of you. Give her anything she requires, but once she obtains it, send her back," Hook took a deep breath, struggling to get the words out. "Send her away."

A knowing look crossed her face, "Are you sure you want me to do that? It would seem that your thoughts tell a different tale."

"Stay out of my head," he growled, stepping closer menacingly.

Iridia couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Very well, man, I understand. As you said, I'm quite old, I know how this works. Just send the girl in and let me see what I can do."

"She'll be here in a moment," he said, already going for the door. Iridia's words, though, stopped him in his tracks.

"Are you sure you don't wish to say goodbye? Many men and women end up regretting it when it's already too late."

"No." It took everything in him to say it, and they both knew it was a lie, but there was no other way. Saying farewell would get the best of him, bring him to his knees, break the already broken man. So he steeled himself, focused on the rage, anger and pain he felt, and opened the door.

Emma didn't say anything, she simply looked at him coldly, before walking past him and slamming the door shut behind her. He felt a flicker of pain as she did so, but pushed the feeling down. It wasn't her fault, none of it was. She didn't know that the icy look was the last one she'd give him, or that he honestly hated himself even more for hurting her. Really, he hadn't known her for a long time, but it felt as if he did, and he knew how easy it probably was for Emma to feel rejected, thrown away. He was basically re-opening old wounds and wished it never came to it.

Emma couldn't help herself, so she stared at the door for a few seconds, before she turned around. There was a bad taste in her mouth, and a feeling of wrongness in her stomach, all because of the man on the other side of the door.

Her mouth slightly dropped open when she caught sight of Iridia. Hook told her she was old as the realm itself, and Emma had to admit that in her mind she pictured her as a typical witch, warts and everything. It's needless to say that she was surprised when she saw a woman around her age, with thick and long black hair, sitting in an armchair, a cup of something nestled in her hands. She was gorgeous, Emma noted. Gorgeous and mystical, incredible, interesting, captivating, enchanting and what in the hell not.

And if she saw it, Hook probably did too. Why did that bother her so much?

She seemed friendly enough to Emma, but the first words that left her mouth were, "You burned down my forest."

* * *

**They, uh... kissed. *CS feels* It's my late Christmas present to you. Hope it wasn't bad - l kinda liked it. Leave a review and tell me what you thought.**

**I guess this is the last chapter for this year. Happy New year to all of you, I wish for you to have a great time and make some awesome resolutions, eat, laugh and for those of you who will, like me, be on Tumblr going through OUAT and CS posts, remember, _we're awesome!_**

**I shall see you next year, my dear Oncers! *flies away on her broom with Colin O'Donoghue and Josh Dallas tied to it***


	15. Between a Rock And a Hard Place

Emma licked her lips, which suddenly got very dry. She stared at Iridia, trying to find something to say, something that might justify what she did. Then, she realized she didn't feel all that sorry. She was trying to save her ass, all just to get back to people she loved. "Hey, there were freaking trolls there! They were going to kill me if I hadn't done something."

"And burning down acres of forest was the only way to deal with them? Honestly Emma, I thought you were smarter than that."

Emma zeroed in on her, shooting her a suspicious look. "All due respect lady, but you don't know anything about me."

Iridia looked surprised at her words. She set the cup down on a small table and got up, cracking her knuckles as she did. Emma shifted slightly, watching her movements in case she decided to do something that seemed off. "Oh, don't I?" she asked. To Emma it seemed like she purred, like a hungry tigress that was about to attack. "No, dear, you're probably right. I only know who you are, who your parents are, the role you play in your time, I know who you love and I know what you dream of at night. I know what you do the first thing you wake up in the morning and the last before you go to sleep." Emma jutted her chin, definitely not liking where this was going. "And since I know all those things," Iridia continued, "I know that you burned down the forest, _my _forest, simply because you were angry and wanted to take it out on something!"

Emma blinked. Okay, so that's what it felt like to be yelled at by a complete stranger.

Iridia let out a breath, her features smoothing. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before clapping her hands and sending Emma a brilliant smile. "Now that I've got that out, take a seat. I've been wanting to meet you."

Dumbfounded, Emma didn't say anything as she sat on a deep red couch and accepted a cup of steaming tea. "You're a very weird woman."

Iridia nodded, sitting in old spot. "I am. And you're a very brave one to say something like that to me when I could make you disappear just as easy as you take a breath." She paused when she noticed the way Emma turned wooden and laughed wholeheartedly. "No worries, dear. As I've said before, I wanted to meet you for a long time. Why would I kill you now that I have?"

"Beats me, but it wouldn't be much of a surprise. A lot of things have tried to kill me recently. Including pirates, storms, mud, trolls and ogres, and oh, a teenager who happened to be the scariest of the above." Emma shrugged, "But hey, it's all in the job description of being a savior."

Iridia was quite for a long time, and Emma was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable because of the silence. "You really are quite special, miss Swan. Has anyone ever told you that? The way you carry yourself... it would seem you have an amazing amount of self-confidence, that you can't be troubled by emotions and common problems of a small man, but I can see past that, don't you understand?"

"There's nothing to say," Emma replied. She felt as a robot as she repeated the same sentence she always did, time and time again. _There's nothing to say. Nothing special here, just keep moving._

"Oh, but there is. I can't quite read you as well as I can other people that seek for my help, but I can tell you're... so very lost that even you can't find yourself."

"Look, I appreciate you trying to help, but that's not the kind of help I came here for. What I need is a potion or whatever the hell can cure dreamshade. Da- my father, he got poisoned a little while ago and we've managed find a cure, but now he can't get off that island from hell. I have to go back to them, which also I have no idea how to do, and help them."

Once again, Iridia was on her feet and walking around the room, every once in a while looking through some of her shelves and drawers, searching for something. Emma eyed her cautiously, thinking that coming to her was a bad idea. Or at least one that just wasted her time. She doubted anything useful would come out of this visit.

"You have that little faith in magic, don't you girl?"

"Right. I forgot about the whole 'mind reading thing.'" Emma mumbled, looking down at her cup.

"Though you have every right to doubt me," Iridia continued with a sigh. "I can't do everything. To be honest with you, Emma, I am not even as powerful as they say anymore. Over the years my powers have weakened. Rumplestiltskin is much stronger nowadays."

"Of course he is. But I don't think he's my biggest fan right now. I'm kind of hanging out with his number one enemy."

"Indeed." She faced Emma with a vial in her hands. "I'm afraid this is all I can do to help you," she said, handing her the small bottle. "This will allow your father to leave Neverland."

"What about getting me home? Can you do that?"

"I... I can't. I'm sorry. Opening a time portal takes a massive amount of magic I simply do not have and could not conjure up even if I tried."

"So I'm just stuck here?!" Emma demanded. She knew she was wrong for snapping at Iridia, the woman had nothing to do with any of this and was actually helping her, but she felt hopeless all of a sudden. "What about my family? What about Henry?!" She didn't have time to think about whether Iridia actually knew who Henry was, all she could do was focus on the yelling. "If you can't do it, how in the hell did Peter-freaking-Pan manage to do it?!"

"Emma," Iridia cooed, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she did, and she quickly drew it back. Emma frowned at her, wondering what happened.

"What?" she asked slowly, even though she had a feeling she didn't actually want to know the answer. "What just happened?"

"N-nothing," Iridia stuttered out. She turned away from Emma and fumbled with her hands, which Emma noticed were shaking.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, finding that she was slightly worried.

Iridia sent her a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. Emma knew right away she was full of crap and rolled her eyes, but didn't press further. She had to remind herself this woman was a stranger - she had no right to be nosy.

"I'm fine dear," she said, still avoiding her eyes. "Don't worry about me. Sometimes I get pictures out of nowhere and they take me by surprise. But never mind that now, what I wanted to ask you was why you didn't open up the portal by yourself?"

"By... by myself?" Emma shook her head, "I can't do that."

"Why not? You have the magic; you're very powerful. All you would need is some sand of time or maybe fairy dust and you could open up the portal without any help. It's probably how Peter Pan did it."

Emma blinked, thinking about her words. It all seemed too easy for it to be true. It wasn't possible she could do this damn magic, a few months ago she didn't even believe it existed. Even after everything, all this magic still seemed surreal.

Emma set down her cup and gripped the vial tighter. She tucked it in her boot, not finding any other place. "I guess I'll be on my way then..." she started awkwardly, getting out of the chair. "Thank you for everything. If I do somehow get back to my time, I'll be able to get my father out of there. I seriously don't know how to repay you for this," she said, referring to the cure.

Iridia winked at her, "Let's say I'm putting it on captain's tab. Speaking of, would you mind telling him to come here once more? I have something I need to speak with him about."

Emma nodded, heading for the door. "Right. I'll do that. Thanks again."

When she left the warmth of the house, Emma shivered because of the fresh air. Goosebumps rose on her skin and she rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself up. She looked up and saw Hook staring at her, his face portraying one of pure shock. He blinked a few times and his features schooled, when Emma spoke.

"She wants to talk to you."

He opened his mouth to ask her why she wasn't gone yet, but snapped it shut. Maybe Iridia could provide him with answers because he didn't like this feeling of confusion stirring up in his chest as he stared at her, still here. He walked past her and straight into the room where Iridia stood, only she seemed to be having a meltdown.

"What in the bloody hell is wrong with you?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Why didn't you tell me she was _that _powerful?" Iridia hissed at him.

"Meaning?"

She paced nervously, pulling at her clothes, hair and skin. Anything she could touch, it seemed to Hook. "I merely touched her and magic surged right through me!" she frantically explained. "Do you take me for a fool, bringing _her _into my forest? My home?"

He rolled his eyes, though doubt filled him as he observed her, trying to determine whether Emma was in danger here or not. "You are overreacting," he said, keeping his tone light.

"Her magic told me she is the product of True Love!" she almost screamed at him. "Do you have any idea what power that is?"

He had to diffuse this, fast. Couldn't have anyone getting so excited about her powers, or else ideas might start coming up, bad, bad ideas. "Iridia, darling, even if she was as powerful as you say she is, it doesn't matter. Swan there doesn't believe in herself, she barely believes in magic and could not possibly be a problem. She doesn't know how to use the magic she has, so what's the point in stressing over it? Have you given her the cure for her father?" he inquired a moment later.

"Oh, never mind that now!" she waved him off, looking around like she was in a frantic daze. Her eyes zeroed in on him and she smiled. "I have a proposal for you, captain."

He cocked his head, "What kind of proposal?" he asked. He wasn't interested, but was desperate, though, for a change of subject.

"I've recently found a way that allows me to create a magical weapon which can kill anything."

Hook sobered up instantly, his mind flashing to the Crocodile. "Anything?"

"Anything," she confirmed.

"How?"

"This weapon, a sword in particular, can be forged out of _pure, unadulterated _magic. It could be the strongest ever created, capable of killing absolutely anything, no matter how powerful it is."

"Could it kill the Dark one?"

She shrugged, "With utmost ease."

"How do you make it?" he managed through gritted teeth.

"That's where you come in." She pointed at something outside and Hook followed her finger, his gaze landing on Emma. She was sitting on a rock and playing with her necklace, oblivious to Hook and Iridia who were watching her. "The girl... she is the key to everything. All you have to do, dear, is get her to hold on to a small pebble for you, and her magic will be drained out of her. We can use a part of it to create the sword for you."

"And the other part?"

"The rest I shall use to restore the power I once had. I tell you, Hook, she is the answer to our prayers."

He wanted to say he agreed, but for a completely different reason than the one she had in mind.

"Will you taking her magic hurt her?"

Iridia shook her head, already reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a small purple stone and tossed it to Hook, who caught it with his good hand. "Is this it?" he inquired, already knowing the answer.

"Yes. Hand it to her and make her hold it until you see it turning lilac. That's how you will know the magic is trapped inside it."

He nodded, "Very well, seems easy enough. One more thing though," he mentioned casually, catching her attention. A second later, the tip of his sword was pressed up against her neck. Hook scratched his chin with his hook. "As I've heard Emma say, you are one crazy bitch."

She narrowed her eyes at him and stepped closer, "Captain..." she whispered dangerously, stepping even closer. "for the sake of our deal, I will pretend the last minute never happened if you lower your sword and move on with your task. I have given you the stone!" she exclaimed.

"Aye. Well see, this is what's going to happen," Hook drawled, at the same time thinking how he's started to sound like Emma. "You are going to step away from me because, honestly, you're starting to make me uncomfortable, and not a lot of people manage to do that, so that means something. And now you listen to me," he growled, applying more pressure to her neck. "you will forget everything there is about that woman, _and _about her powers. And if you ever, _ever_, think about hurting her again, I will run my sword through you and leave you to be eaten by your pet squirrels. Am I clear?"

"Hook," she tried once more, this time her voice visibly softer.

"_Am I clear?"_

She nodded reluctantly, "Yes."

He flashed her a brilliant smile and gave her a mocking bow, "Then I believe we're done here. Thank you for everything, Iridia. As always, it has been a pleasure working with you." He whipped around and darted for the door, not wanting to see her furious face or the lighting that was probably about to struck down at them.

Emma looked surprised when she saw him, and her eyebrows shot up when he ran towards her. "Hook, what's going on? What's with all the yelli-" she was cut off when he grabbed her forearm and started dragging her into the woods, trying to get as far away from Iridia as possible.

"No time to explain, love," he said hurriedly as he ducked under a branch and pulled Emma with him. He realized the whole 'keeping his distance' thing was falling apart with ever feet they ran, but couldn't bring himself to care. Hook just hoped Emma wouldn't call him out on it.

Booms echoed around them, making Emma turn around. The forest was blocking her view, but she assumed the smoke was coming from Iridia's house. Still running, she wondered just what the hell did Hook do to piss her off so much. She seemed to be in a good mood when Emma left, well, aside from the shakes.

"Is she doing this?" she asked, referring to the trees that started to violently sway under gusts of wind. "Is she creating a damn storm?!"

He simply shrugged, like it was nothing of importance. "Possibly." When he saw the pale look Emma sent him he gave in. "Fine, it's definitely her."

"What did you do?" Emma asked again, when they got far enough. Emma felt her knees slightly buckle and almost collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. She masked it by stretching for a few seconds before she let herself sit, earning her a smirk from Hook.

He let it go though, and shrugged again, an action that was really starting to irk Emma. "I simply disagreed with some of her ideas," he said blandly.

"And she just went ballistic?" Emma cocked an eyebrow. "I don't buy it."

After an intense stare-down that lasted for a few long moments, a cocky smirk stretched Hook's lips. "Nobody said _you _have to buy it. I'm just saying what happened. I never said she wasn't crazy."

"What's that in your hand?" she asked, spotting a small pebble he held.

"A rock, Swan. I think you might have encountered one before."

She rolled her eyes, her lie detector lighting up before he even opened his mouth. "Right," she stretched. "Do you really think I'm stupid? Why is it purple?"

"It's decorative?"

She was on her feet and reached for it before he could even blink. "Give it to me!" she yelled, almost snatching it out of his hand.

"What the bloody hell's the matter with you?!" he ducked from a punch and stepped back when she tried to knee him in the stomach. "You really are crazier than I thought, Swan," he mumbled, trying to keep her at arm's length. Emma, on the other hand, had other things in mind. She pushed him into a tree, hoping he would lose his balance and maybe drop the rock in the process. But his hook got stuck in her shirt and he ended up pulling her with him when she pushed him. She knocked into his chest, crushing his ribs, lungs and whatever else he had in there.

She looked up and her breath hitched when she noticed how little space there was between them. Her hips were brushing off his and his chest expanded every time he took a deep breath, which made the air between them even thinner. She looked up and forced herself to focus, not letting herself to get lost in those eyes that drew her in.

"Give. me. the. stone," she managed through gritted teeth, ignoring the heat that radiated from him.

"No," Hook said bluntly. By the looks of it, Emma could tell he was enjoying this, enjoying the struggle and her fight to get the little trinket. His 'no' was a bit more forceful the next time she tried, and by the time she asked again, he seemed to be fighting a headache. "Good God, woman, can't you let it go?"

"What do you think? Why won't you give me the damn thing? It's not like it will kill me."

"You don't know that!" he exploded, pushing her away violently, causing her to stumble. She looked up at him with wide eyes and he fought to calm down. He figured that she really wouldn't stop pushing, and the worst thing that could happen was that she took the stone from him while he slept. He was once sure nobody could steal _anything _from him, but with Emma Swan, he couldn't be sure. He might as well tell her truth, or the bloody idiot would take her own magic away all by herself. "Swan," he started, "this stone is magical. You touch it, and it will take all your magic away."

Pause. The next thing he knew she really did manage to sock him in the face, making his nose throb painfully. "Then why do you have it?!" she demanded, her eyes sparking up with anger and a hint of betrayal. She pulled out her sword and pressed it against his neck. The nerve of her.

"Why do you keep punching me?" he wondered, rubbing his nose lightly.

"Why do you keep deserving it?" Emma shot back. "Now answer my question. If that thing can suck my magic dry, then why do you have it?"

"Well I didn't have it before. How do you think I got it now?" Hook smirked. "We've met only one person who could have given it to me. Put it together, Swan."

Emma lowered her sword, her eyebrows scrunching up. "Iridia. But why? She... she gave me the potion that will save David. I don't understand."

"Why do any of them go rotten? Power. It seems you have quite a lot of it and she thought, 'why not?'"

"But why did she give _you _the rock?"

"She offered me a deal," he paused, thinking over what his next words should be. "She wanted to use your power to regain some of her own."

Emma cocked an eyebrow, looking suspicious. "And what's in it for you?"

"Bloody nothing," he lied. "She threatened me and thought I'd just obey her for no reason whatsoever. That's what she gets," he said, motioning towards the sky, where Emma could still see the smoke. She looked at him and narrowed her eyes. She knew he was lying, she could feel it in her bones, but didn't have the guts to call him out on it. She didn't want to start anything else. Things seemed to be light and easy between them for now, and Emma wanted them to stay that way.

"Remind me never to make a deal with you," Emma added once they started moving through the forest again, eliciting a laugh from him. "So what now?"

"Now we get back to the Jolly Roger and figure out another way to send you back to your family."

She stopped. "Seriously? Even after everything?"

He grinned lazily, hooking his thumb through his belt in a pose that was very familiar to Emma. "Swan, I like to think of myself as a gentleman and it wouldn't be very gentleman-like of me to leave you stranded in a foreign land, now would it?"

It was hard for her to keep in a grin of her own. "Guess not."

* * *

"A mirror?" Regina barked. "That's never going to work."

Mary Margaret growled in frustration, and Hook and David rolled their eyes. After they somehow got out of Pan's hideout, they made their way through the jungle, trying to find Regina and Rumpelstiltskin. It took them half a day to get in their tracks and the only reason they did find them was because Regina and Gold found themselves under an attack. Because they got closer to Pan's cave, the Lost Ones ambushed them and tried to lead them away, with Pan happily doing everything in his power to mess with their heads.

Mary Margaret made sure to hide the shards of the mirror before they joined the fight. Hook had pointed out that, since the island was basically Pan's eyes and ears, they shouldn't speak of the mirror or their plans. He made sure to be the quietest possible as he did, effectively pissing David off.

When the Lost Ones retreated, with Pan chuckling, as if he was in on a joke nobody else understood, David asked Regina and Gold to put a spell around them, so that Pan couldn't hear them. Begrudgingly, Regina listened, though really, she saw no point in any of this. It wasn't like the stupid mirror would work anyway. It was just a giant waste of time, like everything else all of them tried.

God, she hated this island.

"You don't know that," Snow snapped. "The mirror works, which is why Pan broke it."

"He could be just toying with you, trying to make you believe it's magical," Rumpelstiltskin added. "It it something Pan would do. Make you believe you think he didn't know something, when really, he knew all along."

"This is not the time for 'what ifs'!" David yelled. "All we ask of you is to fix a mirror."

To David's surprise, who was standing right next to him, Hook was smirking. He seemed to be having the most fun. His eyes were glued to the Evil Queen and the Dark One. "Besides, after everything _you two _put a whole kingdom through, how hard could that be?" he wondered in an amused voice.

David nodded, "Yeah, what he said."

Gold sighed, walking up to Mary Margaret. "Very well then, if that's what you wish for."

"Oh, don't tell me you're actually falling for this!" Regina spoke up.

Gold merely cast her a tired look. "It won't hurt us to try, dearie," he murmured quietly, his hands moving over the shards in Mary Margaret's hands. A gust of purple smoke appeared and disappeared, leaving behind a beautiful silver-framed mirror in the place where the pieces used to be. Mary Margaret gasped and took a small step back, running into David's chest.

"It's okay," he whispered in her ear soothingly.

"Now what?" she asked, looking up.

Gold smiled, "Just think of her."

* * *

**Why does everyone think this story is already over? You didn't think I'd make it that easy, did you? **

**No, I'm just kidding you guys. I'm guessing I have about five more chapters in plan for this story. Originally it was supposed to be a lot longer but I'm really psyched to get started with my next fanfiction. I'm pretty sure it will be a lot more interesting than this one, with a lot more twists and turns. I want to start it now because I want to time it with the second half of the season when it starts airing. **

**And because my social life is next to non-existent I wanted to share this quick story with you about what happened to me at New Year. BTW, HAPPY FREAKING NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. **

**Okay, so here's what happened. I live in NYC and every year I go to Times Square with my mom, my sister, my best friend and his mom. This year though, my mom got a cold and a fever, crappy right? She told me to go without her. When we got there, you can assume that the place was _packed. _About half an hour before midnight I was walking right next to this guy who had one of those fire sprinklers or whatever the hell they're called. Keep in mind I had a fluffy, ear-covering hat on.**

**Guess what happened. C'mon, guess. I dare you.**

_**My damn hat caught on fire. **_

**I'm not gonna bug you with details after that happened, to sum it up - I started screaming because I thought my hair was on fire, a man heard me scream and called a cop who was nearby because he thought somebody was stabbing me to death in the middle of Times Square, and I almost got a person arrested for public disturbance. **

**No, I am not kidding. Yes, my life sucks that much ass. Sigh.**

**Well, I hope you had some good times, and that you made some kick-ass resolutions. Tell me what you think of the chapter by leaving me a review. 'Til next time! :)**


	16. Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall

"It's not working," Mary Margaret said, her voice laced with panic. "Why isn't it working?!" she turned to Gold, sounding frantic.

Regina rolled her eyes, snatching the mirror away from her. "All of you are a bunch of idiots. She has to stand in front of a mirror or something that shows her reflection, otherwise you wouldn't need a mirror!"

Everyone paused. "Makes enough sense," Hook supplied.

"So what, we wait until Emma stands in front of a water puddle?" David asked, his sarcasm obvious, making Regina look at him tiredly, like she was sick of explaining every little thing to them.

"Sure, that works too, _Charming._" Seeing the heartbroken look on Snow White's face made her fish for something else to say, just to stop the crying she could already sense was coming. "I'll put a spell on the mirror, so when Emma sees her reflection we'll hear everything that's going on around her. Although I'm not really sure that's such a good idea," she mumbled the last part.

Neal, who's been silent the whole time, listening to the exchange, narrowed his eyes, "Why not?"

Regina smirked, looking over at Hook. "Well, I'm just saying, who knows what... them two are up to."

Both Neal and Hook looked like they've been kicked in the face. David looked a little pale.

"I've done my job for today," Regina announced, pleased that she's managed to make things uncomfortable for pretty much everyone, including Gold, who just looked like he was in pain from listening to all this. "Here," she said, moving her hand over the mirror, "you'll know when you can talk to her. I'm going to sleep." The Queen stepped out of the spell and headed back for the camp she, Gold and his son had set up.

Gold headed back as well, leaving Hook, Charming, Snow and Neal to exchange awkward glances and avert their eyes.

"I just hope she's okay," Mary Margaret whispered finally, shaking her head as she hugged the mirror to her chest.

"It's Emma," David smiled sadly. "You know she is. You go get some rest and keep an eye on that mirror, Hook and I will go get some firewood." She nodded, leaning into him when he kissed her forehead. Neal left after her, with a sharp nod. When they were left alone, David motioned for Hook to follow him.

"What'd I do wrong now, Dave?"

David grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back, making him stop. "Did you remember something new... well, old?" He sighed, exasperated, "You know what I mean."

"She managed to procure the cure for you. You'll be able to leave this island," he said, fixing his eyes on David's face to catch his reaction. The Prince's eyes doubled in size and he looked like he should be seated down. He spaced out for a couple of minutes, and Hook gave him time to process the information, but after a while he was just creeping him out. He nudged him with his hook. "Mate?"

David blinked, shaking his head. "I'm... I'm fine. I just can't believe it. I had already made my peace with the idea of staying here forever."

"Makes you wish she came across the cure before Mary Margaret found out about the whole thing, doesn't it?"

David ignored him. "Anything else?"

If he hadn't been paying attention to Hook like he was, David might have missed the face he made, which was a mix of uncertainty, discomfort and a little fear. He eyed David's hands warily, making him realize that whatever it was, David wouldn't like it. He cringed. Oh God, there was only a small number of things that he _really _wouldn't like, and he didn't want to think about any of them.

Maybe Regina was right._ Please, please, please,_ David chanted, _don't let Regina be right._

"I... might have kissed her."

David let out a humorless laugh, his attention turning to something else, "Déjà vu to the Echo cave, huh?"

"You... are not going to hit me again? You and Swan seem to get a kick out of it."

David cocked a brow, "Emma?"

"It's like she's bored in the past - she keeps punching me."

David nodded, "That's my girl. If I can't hit you, it's a good thing someone can."

Hook smirked, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought princes had more mercy than you seem to show."

"Then it's my lucky day - I'm not really a prince."

Hook nodded, a thoughtful expression settling on his face. "That's right. I forgot you're really a shepherd."

"And that's worse than being a pirate how...?"

"Touché."

* * *

Emma had to admit, she was happy when she saw the Jolly Roger. She didn't feel just relief or a twinge of joy, no, she felt pure _happiness. _It might have been silly, and she cringed inwardly every few seconds or so at her feelings, but she almost had the urge to sprint towards it with arms open wide. Hook and her spent a day travelling back to it. Granted, it took them much less time to return than to reach their destination, mostly because they made their best effort not to fight, nobody got stuck in people-swallowing mud and no trolls appeared.

It was a good day. A good, safe-as-it-can-get-in-the-Enchanted-Forest day.

They barely stepped on the dock that led towards Jolly and were already greeted like long-lost heroes who were finally returning home from a journey that lasted years, not barely four days. Emma swiftly escaped from Hook and his fellow pirates, making her way to the cabin she slept in before. Once she closed the door and found herself on the other side of the craziness, she leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.

Offhandedly, she started thinking about Henry. She wondered what he was up to. Was Pan getting through to him? She wanted to believe that Henry would resist whatever Pan threw at him, that he wouldn't believe in some story the little freak told him, but she knew better. She still felt like an orphan, still wondered why Snow and Charming gave her away even though she knew the reasons, and she knew Henry did as well. If Pan were to tell him some bull story that had something to do with him being abandoned by her, Emma knew there was a chance her kid would buckle.

God, she hoped not.

Shaking her head, Emma pushed herself off the wall. She needed to use her time better - find a way to get back. She passed by a wall with a mirror hung on it when she headed for her hammock. What she didn't expect was a voice yelling back at her.

"Emma!" someone yelled, making her jump and instantly reach for her sword.

"What the...?" she breathed out, looking around.

"Emma, here! It's me, Mary Margaret!"

Emma slowly inched towards the mirror, until she realized she couldn't see her own reflection. She gaped at the mirror, her mind trying to work through the fact that she was seeing her mother's smiling face, her father perched behind her and Regina looking at them in interest from a distance. "M-mom?" she stuttered, feeling stupid for talking to a wall. Snow nodded, her eyes filling up with tears as she pressed her palm to her mouth. Emma blinked. "What the hell guys? What is this?"

"Pan..." Mary Margaret swallowed a lump in her throat, "he had a magic mirror in one of his hideouts."

"So this is real? We're actually talking?"

"Yes."

"Did you guys get Henry?" Emma asked, lowering her voice in case Hook came back on board and decided to, for whatever reason, check up on her. She didn't need him barging in and accidentally seeing his future self in a magic mirror. That would be _awkward._

"We've actually been trying to get you back. We've separated from Regina and Neal before. They met up with Mr. Gold, and attempted to find a way in to Pan's camp, but no luck."

"But Regina's right there," Emma said, pointing at the woman in the background that was waving at her with a sly smirk on her face.

"Yes, well, Hook, David and I got in a situation with Pan and he... well, he smashed the mirror, so we took it back to Regina and Gold."

Emma nodded, understanding, "Yeah, like with the magic wardrobe."

"And it worked," Snow gave her another teary smile. "I'm so happy to see you, Emma. Are you okay? Hook has told us that you got the cure for David, but have you figured out a way to get back?"

"No, I - wait, what are you talking about? How on earth did Hook know about the cure?"

David smiled reassuringly, his face twisting as he tried to find the right words. He guessed that with everything that's happened, his daughter wouldn't be so keen on them knowing everything. "Emma... Hook, this Hook, he remembers everything that happens in your time."

Emma froze, any traces of emotion leaving her face. David quickly continued, before she went and threw the mirror across the room. "It comes to him like memories."

Of course. How come she didn't think of that sooner? Before she went and let him kiss her or before she spilled her guts to him multiple times. She was never going to live this down, if Hook stayed true to himself.

"Great," she muttered darkly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Sorry," Mary Margaret offered her a comforting smile, an impish look on her face. "Don't worry about that, though. All you have to worry about is getting home."

"In the light of that," Gold suddenly cut in, obviously taking the mirror out of Mary Margaret's hands. His face appeared in the mirror and Emma fought the urge to frown. She had nothing against him, but she was enjoying just _looking _at Mary Margaret and David. Seeing their faces was making this whole thing a lot more bearable. It gave her something she desperately needed, _hope. _"Ah, miss Swan. Lovely to see your smiling face again."

She wanted to tell him his sarcasm was _not _appreciated, because she was _so _not smiling.

She settled on, "Good to see you too, Gold."

He gave her his trademark toothy smile, the one that scared her just a little, and nodded, moving on. "In case you want to come back to our time, I would suggest you call for the Dark one."

Emma cocked an eyebrow, "You mean you?"

"The one and only."

"Awesome. And on a scale of one to ten, how sure are you that this-time-you won't kill me for hanging out with this-time-Hook? In case you forgot, you guys have some issues and I don't want to get caught in the crossfire. The last thing I need is my head flying off because you got angry."

"Nonsense. I'll be able to send you back."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, for a price. One I have no idea how I'll pay."

"In our previous deal, what have I asked of you?"

"Uh... I'll owe you a favor?"

Gold nodded, pleased by her answer. "That's correct. One thing you need to know about me, miss Swan, is that I am a consistent man." With that, he handed the mirror back to Mary Margaret and walked away, leaving Emma with a need to stick her tongue out at him like a five-year old.

"That was... interesting."

"Whatever it was, you should listen to Gold," David decided. "If anyone can get you back, it's him."

Emma nodded, feeling oddly okay when she noticed David was getting used to his father role. It was nice, having someone doing all the thinking instead of her for once. "Would you two hate me if called out for Rumpelstiltskin tomorrow? It's getting pretty late here, and Hook and I just got back from that witch who gave me the cure for you. I'm so freaking tired," she yawned, finally noticing the ache in her bones.

Snow and Charming nodded, "Of course, honey."

She didn't want to even turn her eyes away from them, but the fatigue was quickly catching up to her. Emma stared until tears came to her eyes from not blinking for too long. She turned away so she wouldn't give them the wrong idea. Okay, so maybe she did _want _to cry and just have her parents hold her, but there was no way in hell she'd do that with Regina and company behind them, probably listening to the whole thing.

"I miss you guys," she whispered soon after.

"We miss you too, Emma," Mary Margaret said, just as quietly. Emma knew she probably noticed everyone had their eyes on them.

Emma heard the sound of footsteps approaching and sent them an apologetic look. "Someone's coming, I have to go. Will we be able to talk again through this mirror of yours?"

Snow nodded quickly, looking like she was in pain at the thought of ending this conversation. "Yes, whenever you want. Just stand in front of something in which you can see your reflection in and I'll be able to see you. I won't let the mirror out of my hands."

Emma smiled sadly, nodding. "Okay. I... I guess I'll see you later."

"Bye Emma," she heard her mother say tearfully before she moved away from the wall and the connection broke. She blinked furiously, making the tears go away just in time. Hook came in a second later, a frown set on his face, his forehead scrunched.

He looked around the cabin and Emma's eyebrows shot up. "I could swear I heard voices."

"Then I suggest therapy," she replied smoothly, not missing a beat. "Nobody's here."

"I can see that."

She stared at him, sensing there was something more here, because he was still standing in the doorway, staring back at her. "Then why are _you _here?"

He licked his lips, trying to get the words, which were stuck in his throat, out. Emma waited for whatever it was he wanted to say, and fumbled with her hands. She was standing in the middle of the room and, under his intense gaze, was starting to feel tense. The way he looked at her made her stomach flip just the slightest bit. She almost scowled - could she get anymore pathetic over the smallest things he did?

Turned out, she could. When he stopped trying to voice his thoughts, he simply gave her a curt nod and disappeared from the room, leaving her with a sense of cold. She sighed, feeling as if she had enormous weight pressing down on her chest.

Soon, Emma was lulled to sleep by Jolly's soft swaying, and found herself dreaming about the time she and Hook climbed the beanstalk, and when Henry first came and found her. She dreamed of Charming and Snow's arms around her when they first woke up from the curse and the way their hug gave her the exact same feeling it did when they hugged her in the mine, when they all thought they'd die because of the trigger.

Gold's laugh echoed in Emma's head, reminding her he was her next chore. The thought made her feel relieved. She finally had a chance. She'd talk to Mary Margaret and David when she woke up, and make sure the coast was clear for her to get home.

A smile stretched her lips in her sleep. Maybe tomorrow would be a good day. Maybe it would be _the _day.

* * *

Hook wasn't planning on taking Jolly out, but in the four days they've been gone, he really started to miss her. The only 'woman' in his life who's ever been there, stayed with him. So after all members of his crew retreated to their quarters, and Hook placed his hands on the helm, he knew he wouldn't fall asleep until he was out in the open, breathing in the sea air that's become so familiar to him.

The wind felt liberating, made him feel like he could sprout wings any second now. He closed his eyes and stayed like that for a long time, before he heard the floorboards creaking.

"You look like you're drunk," he heard _her _voice.

Hook cracked an eye open. "I'm not."

"You sure?" She pressed jokingly, "Because you are steering this ship so if you make us crash into an iceberg, I'll-"

"A what?"

She looked almost disappointed that he didn't understand the implication behind her words. "Right." Emma shook her head. "Never mind, that's just something from my time. You're better off not knowing anyway, trust me."

"Why are you up? It's the middle of the night."

She shrugged, settling beside him. "Couldn't sleep. You were, uh, kind of right before. I was talking to someone."

Hook rolled his eyes, fighting a smirk. He knew it. "That much I gathered, thank you Swan." Pause. "But the cabin was empty. I suppose it's you who needs that therapy, after all."

"They found a magic mirror," Emma said, ignoring him. "My parents, they... I talked to them."

"Good."

"We... we found a way for me to go back. At least I think we did."

His expression was unreadable, and his face looked strangely calm. Even back in Neverland Emma had never seen him look so collected before. It was the strangest thing, seeing the man whose face was usually full of _some _emotion look so empty. It made her feel guilty. He didn't know the whole story. He didn't know her reasons for wanting to go back - he had no idea he was one of them.

She'd never admit it though.

"How shall you go back?" he inquired, keeping his eyes up front. "I thought you said it was very dangerous, opening up a time portal."

She looked down at her hands, missing the way his eyes flickered to something in the water. When she looked up, Emma noticed Hook looked almost dazed. She didn't think about it much though, she still had to explain to him she needed Rumpelstiltskin's help and that he was her best shot. She hoped Hook wouldn't make her walk the damn plank without hearing her out.

She turned away, not wanting to face him and see his reaction. She knew it wouldn't be pretty. "Well, yeah, it is, but I won't be the one opening it. Hopefully, it'll be someone else, which is what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm thinking that the only person who's able to help me at this point of the game is the Dar - Hook? Are you even listening to me?"

Emma raised her eyebrows, feeling annoyed at his silence. She turned around and stopped dead in her tracks. Hook stood there, at the helm, with a glazed-over look on his face. He stared into the distance and Emma followed his eyes, noticing something in the water. She strained herself, trying to get a better look, but she wished she hadn't done it. Her blood turned to ice when she realized what exactly she was staring at. The sparkle made sense. She's seen it before, not that long ago, and on that very ship.

Mermaids.

* * *

**You guys are so sweet =D I loved all of your messages, they made me grin so much that my mom suggested I get therapy. And the Mother of the year award goes to...**

**Hm, I hope the chapter wasn't terrible. Emma's close to going home! Leave a review, make me grin creepily again. Lots of love to y'all.**


	17. Deep Within

"Hook! Get back!" Emma yelled, trying to pull him back. Instead of following, he ripped his arm from her grasp and continued to stare at the mermaid, not taking his eyes off her. He seemed to be in a trance, and Emma had no idea how to snap him out of it. She looked for something she could use to maybe knock him out, but it just wasn't her day. Nothing was anywhere near the helm. Cursing, she did the only thing she could think off.

She ran to her parents. It was a coward's way out, but in that moment nothing else seemed to make any sense to Emma.

"David!" she screamed into the mirror as she gripped it and raised it from its hinges on the wall. "Mary Margaret!"

"Emma?" David was quick to answer, and soon enough his face appeared in the mirror. "What is it? Are you okay?"

She shook her head, "No, I'm not okay. How do you kill a mermaid?"

David's face scrunched up in thought. "A mermaid? Are you being attacked? Where's Hook?"

"He's outside, but something's wrong with him! He just keeps staring at the thing, like he's under a spell," she explained hastily as she ran back to the helm.

"Oh no..." she heard David mumble.

"I didn't know mermaids could do that."

"They can't," David said. Emma could see he was getting out of his seat and realized he was walking away from the group. "Emma," he said, his tone serious, "that isn't a mermaid."

Emma blinked, confusion settling in. "Then what the hell is it?" she asked finally, although she wasn't really looking forward to his answer.

"A siren. You have to get Hook away from her."

"I... I know, but why? Can't he just, I don't know, stab her in the face or something along those lines?"

"Sirens have the ability to turn into the person you love the most," David explained. "They'll lure you in with sweet talk and promises, then pull you underwater and drown you. It takes incredible will to fight of their charms, otherwise you're as good as dead."

"It sound's like you're speaking from experience," Emma noticed, narrowing her eyes at him. By then she had reached Hook and the siren, who actually seemed to be talking.

David nodded in confirmation, his face growing grim. "I am. I encountered one back in the Enchanted Forest. She turned into Snow and tried to seduce me. After I snapped out of it she grabbed me and pulled me under."

"How'd you kill her?"

"A stab in the heart will do, but for that you'd have to get very close, and you just can't risk that. Emma," he warned, "don't risk that. It's too dangerous and we've just got you back. Don't do it."

"Well I can't just let him get killed!" she exclaimed. "If I do, then your present-day buddy will disappear as well. Listen, there's no other way, that thing is getting to him, they're talking!"

David sighed in frustration. He was getting an itch just sitting there and not being able to do anything and it pissed him off to no end. He tried not to show it though, he didn't want to give Emma any more problems. Like she needed them, she had to deal with Hook and a damn _siren, _of all things. "Fine, but at least try to throw the knife, don't get too close."

Emma nodded, grabbing a knife from her boot. "Okay. I'm gonna have to set the mirror down, obviously."

"Be careful," David begged. "And Emma!" he called once more before the connection broke. She looked up and their eyes locked. "Don't get too cozy around Hook either."

She rolled her eyes, about to let go of the mirror. "David..."

"No, not because of that! Well, yeah, because of that too, but also because she could be controlling him, whispering commands in his ear as we speak."

"Then I can't waste anymore time."

Just as the placed the mirror out of sight, in case the siren decided to break things that were on the ship, she felt someone grab her forearm and hoist her up to her feet. She looked up and her eyes met Hook's, only they didn't look like they always did. They were hazy and dazed, almost as if he would pass out any moment now. But he didn't, instead, he dragged her near the helm, his hook digging into her back. Emma winced, but other than that didn't let anything show on her face. She wasn't going to let this tuna-salad-thing finish her, when she already survived crap ten times worse.

"My, my," the siren mumbled, circling and eyeing Emma hungrily. Emma wondered how she got on deck in the first place, until she noticed the rope that was thrown overboard. She must have gotten Hook to pull her up when Emma was talking to David. "What have we got here?" It was only when she got in her face did Emma notice that the siren changed her appearance. She didn't have pale skin and blond hair anymore, now she had long, dark locks and grey eyes that thundered whenever she looked at her.

Milah, Emma realized. She was staring at Milah.

"You're a pretty little thing, aren't you?" she purred in her ear, though Emma could hear the hate underlying her tone. "Why don't you tie her to the mast, Captain?" she said, turning her attention to Hook. "We wouldn't want her crashing our party, now would we?"

"No!" Emma trashed, trying to break free out of his grasp. She soon realized it was useless - whenever she moved his hook dug in a little deeper, and she felt blood trickling down her back a few moments later. "Hook, you have to snap out of it," she begged as he started to tie her hands. "It isn't real," she said, her voice echoing with despair she was starting to feel. "It isn't Milah; she's dead. Please, Hook."

For a split second she saw his eyes brighten, like he was starting to come back, when the siren whistled and got their attention. When Emma looked at her she was smirking, her eyes showing her interest. "This is interesting," she mumbled. "It seems I've made a mistake. This," she pointed at the body, "is what I first picked up on, but when I dig a little deeper in that handsome pirate head of his'... there's something else there, something hidden deep within."

Emma's eyes widened as she saw the siren changing her appearance right in front of her. Her long, dark, curly hair became straight and blonde, her eyes switched to a darker color and her face turned into one Emma saw each time she looked in the mirror.

"Oh my God," she mumbled, staring at her reflection. "This is so wrong on so many levels."

"Well I wouldn't say that," the siren said, twirling around in her sparkly dress which made Emma want to puke. She'd _never _put something like _that _on. "I feel rather pretty. Now I know how you feel all the time and understand why Captain Hook here would take interest in someone like you. Lucky girl," she giggled. "I might just stay like this."

"For the love of..." Emma groaned, "Hook! Please snap out of it!"

"He can't hear you," the siren sounded like she was enjoying this. Emma frowned when she turned around, wondering if she really looked like that from behind. She wasn't very fond of her hair. If she survived, she was definitely getting a haircut once they got back to Storybrooke.

Still, even with the siren's taunts, she wasn't going to give up that easily. She could get through to him, she knew she could. "Hook, please," she tried again. "It isn't real! I'm here, look at me!" she yelled, trying to kick him. Nothing. He didn't even blink, he just kept staring at the second Emma, the one who was smiling lovingly at him. Emma slumped against the mast, her shoulders falling. She tried one last time, "Killian, please," she begged, her voice breaking.

A beat passed and he slowly looked at her, his eyes clearing completely. He blinked once, twice. "Swan?"

"No, no," the siren rushed, placing her hand on his cheek and forcing him to look at her. "Don't listen to her. I'm the real Emma."

"No you're not," he argued, but Emma could see his features were smoothing; the siren was getting to him again.

"Yes, I am. It's me. I tied her up, don't you remember?" the siren's face morphed into one of pure tenderness. "I had to do it, to save myself. She wanted to drown me, kill me. But I... I love you and she wanted to take me away from you. Wanted to make you live alone, a life of hate and revenge, completely consumed and destroyed by it. You won't let that happen, will you?" she said, her thumb tracing over his face.

He shook his head slightly, reaching up to take her hand in his. "No, of course not. Ever."

Fake-Emma smiled, "I thought so. Come on, I wish to show you something," she whispered as she started to drag him slowly towards the railing.

"No!" Emma yelled, struggling against the ropes that kept her in place. "No, don't listen to her! Hook!"

She felt the rope loosen and struggled harder, seeing that the siren has already led Hook to the railing, and was about to drag him overboard. She felt the ropes fall off and shot up, grabbing a sword as she ran towards them. Without really thinking about it, Emma grabbed the siren by her hand, spun her around and thrust the sword into her. The siren gasped, turning back to her old form as she stumbled back, blood dripping out of her wound, and fell off the deck. Emma heaved, trying to regain her breath, but her lungs were burning and everything was spinning. She dropped the sword and sat down, placing her head on her knees, trying to figure out why she felt as if she had a weight on her chest.

"Swan?" she faintly heard someone call for her. Hook, she guessed. "Swan?!" he repeated, crouching down next to her. "It's okay," Emma heard him hum softly, as he sat down beside her.

She didn't know how long they stayed like that, but after a while she finally felt like she could breathe. She lifted her head from her knees and looked around to see if the world was still spinning. Emma blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes, before she got up, her knees buckling slightly.

"Are you okay?" Hook asked her, going up after her.

She sent him the faintest of smiles. "Shouldn't I ask you that? You're the one whose head's been screwed with. You also almost became fish food."

He grinned, running his hand through his hair. "Though that is true, you're the one who had a nervous breakdown, love. Care to share what that was about?"

She hesitated, refusing to meet his eyes. "I... I'm just not into killing people. That's not how I work."

"Ah, but she wasn't a human. She was a monster, Emma," he said, forcing her to look at him. She could count on one hand the times she heard him call her Emma, and every time it took her by surprise.

"Doesn't matter," she said stubbornly. "I'm the Savior who's supposed to bring back happiness and happy endings, not take them away and kill."

He sighed, giving up on fighting her and motioned towards the place where she hid the mirror. "You might want to tell your father you're not dead."

She nodded, "Right." She recovered the mirror and stared at her reflection for a second. David and Mary Margaret's worried, anxious faces appeared a moment later, and they looked like they were about to rip their hair our.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret exclaimed when she saw her. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did you kill the siren? Is Hook well? This Hook is still alive-"

"And annoying," David added under his breath.

"Whoa, you guys need to calm down," Emma smiled. "I'll go in order. I'm okay. I'm not hurt, a little scraped up, but I'll manage. The siren's dead and Hook's okay too. I... somehow I took care of it. It was so weird. She turned into me."

David and Mary Margaret exchanged a look, but didn't say anything. Emma frowned, already knowing what they were thinking. It worried and freaked her out as well, but she didn't want to admit it. The fact that the siren turned into her after digging through Hook's mind meant... well, Emma found herself shaking just by thinking of it. Even worse was trying to decide whether she felt the same. She could, but she didn't allow herself to. At least until she got back, then they'd talk about it.

Or run away from it. Whichever came first.

She felt blood trickling down her leg from the wound in her back and cursed. Emma felt anger building up. She couldn't deal with this anymore. The bruises and wounds were starting to be unbearable, not because they hurt - but because she couldn't deal with the ways she got them anymore. She was tired of being in this time and place, her nerves were starting to get the best of her.

"Are you okay, Emma?" Mary Margaret asked softly, after watching emotion cross over Emma's face. Her eyes were worried, angry and sad, and Snow had a feeling she knew what her daughter was thinking about. After being stuck in an unfamiliar surrounding for such a long time, she guessed all Emma wanted was to go back to Storybrooke, hell - they all did.

Emma sniffed softly, and shook her head. She managed a small smile, thought it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm fine. I just... I really want to go home."

_Bullseye,_ Snow thought.

David pretended that this whole thing wasn't getting to him. "And we want you to come back, then we can get Henry and get the hell out of here."

"You're right, and that's exactly what we're going to do," Emma said, her voice hard. Determination burned in her eyes as she looked around, searching for Hook. When she caught sight of him she turned to her parents and smiled, albeit sadly, at them. "I'm ending this once and for all. I can't deal with this anymore."

"You mean..."

She nodded, "I'm calling Gold - well, Rumpelstiltskin. Now."

"You can't be bloody serious," she suddenly heard a voice behind her. Emma spun around and found Hook staring at her with a cold, hard expression. Betrayal shone from his eyes and sent a knife straight to the heart Emma once fought so hard to protect. "What?" he snapped after a few long moments of silence. "You won't even try to give me a reason not to throw you overboard?"

"How about, I just saved your freaking life for the tenth time."

"My life wouldn't even need saving if you hadn't taken the right to come right into it!" he sneered. "But I understand it now."

"No, you don't," Emma sighed, averting her eyes. Intense eye contact was never her thing anyway.

"Yes, I do!" he bellowed. Seconds later Emma heard members of his crew walking in their cabins, but doubted they even dared to look outside. Hook would have probably just stabbed them right then and there. "This was all a ruse, wasn't it Swan? I knew it from the moment I saw you that the Crocodile sent you," he laughed, effectively scaring the crap out of her. "It was a brilliant plan, even I have to give him that. Send a lass and have her recover the heart of the dreadful pirate. Well, you can go ahead and tell him that-"

"Now, now, dearie. I think you're overreacting."

Emma felt a lump form in her throat when she saw Rumpelstiltskin. He looked so different now, with the skin and the get-up and the creepy smile on his face.

"Oh, I can't believe this," Hook growled, already reaching for his sword.

Emma stood between them, facing Hook. She leveled with him and placed her hand on his, pushing the sword back into its sheath. "Please. Stop."

"But he-"

"He won't do anything. I promise."

"I would listen to her, Captain," Rumple sneered, obviously enjoying the scene that unfolded in front of him.

Emma frowned and turned to him. "Okay, Go- Rumplestiltskin, you can shut up as well. How'd you get here anyway? I didn't call you."

"Ah," he started, raising a finger, "but you thought about me real hard. Sometimes that's all it takes, dearie, especially if the person calling me is the product of true love. By the way, miss Swan, what are _you _doing _here? _I didn't expect you for another three hundred years."

"The story gets weirder with every passing day. But that's not the point. I... I wanted you to come because I need your help."

"Oh?" by the look on his face she could tell Rumpelstiltskin knew exactly what she wanted.

"I want to go back. I need you to send me back to my time."

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**School started for me today... it's tragic, to be honest with you.**

**But anyway, the story's ending, way too quickly for my liking. There will be one more chapter, maybe an epilogue. Leave a review, share your thoughts, my dearies! I love reading them, as I've said before; be so kind and make my day =D**


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